Obama listening to zealots on Keystone

Even with all the highest standards for safety and efficiency of moving crude oil by rail, we have had another derailment of an oil tanker train in West Virginia on Feb. 16.

It caused huge explosions, destroyed one house, contaminated the Kanawha River that gives drinking water to a couple of towns nearby and caused many people to be evacuated and lives disrupted for days.

This is just the latest of several train derailments of oil tankers of the past couple of years here in the U.S. and a terrible one in Quebec, Canada, killed 47 people in 2013. Fortunately no one was killed in this one.

These "accidents" could be ended by President Obama signing the legislation to construct the Keystone SL Pipeline. What an easy answer to stop these dangerous transports of crude oil from Canada into the U.S. putting many people at risk unnecessarily with derailments. What a boon this pipeline would be for the thousands of jobs it would initiate, let alone the safety aspect of no more train derailments in moving crude oil overland.

Mr. Obama vows to veto this important legislation that would help boost our economy with jobs for many people. The pipeline has been overly "analyzed" for the past six years and has been rendered safer than the rail transport of oil.

Mr. Obama is listening to the crazy, zealot environmentalists who are against this pipeline instead of the American people who need these jobs. Even the union guys are upset with Obama's lack of urgency on this project. It's just another bad decision he's making.

Mr. Obama, do the right thing and sign the Keystone XL Pipeline legislation ASAP for the sake of safety and jobs for the American people.

Judy Olsen

Elgin