Energy security equals national security

September 27, 2016

In these divisive times we live in, our body politic seems to struggle to separate what feels right for the nation's viability and what, in reality, is right for a stronger America.

In this instance, I'm speaking of our nation's energy self-sufficiency, environmental impacts and how they both affect our homeland security.

Recent decisions to halt progress on the Dakota Access and Northeast Energy Direct pipelines were met with cheers by some and head-scratching by others. Count me in part of the latter group.

For some, it feels right to stop a pipeline. But do those decisions actually make us any safer? Environmentalists will tell you that pipelines inevitably lead to disaster and barren landscapes.

This ignores the fact that pipelines, compared to other modes of transportation, are a far safer means to transport well, just about anything.

But how do these decisions tie into homeland security? Simply put, energy produced at home is far preferable than purchasing energy from combative governments like Venezuela, Iran, Russia and Iraq. Producing more energy at home strengthens our ability to influence foreign policy without the use of military action. Investing in pipelines and energy infrastructure helps us do just that.

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