Jun 10, 2021
President Joe Biden has finally forced the developer of the Keystone XL Pipeline to throw in the towel. Biden destroyed thousands of good-paying union jobs, with trickle-down impact on jobs in the community that supported them. Take Tricia Burns and her husband who opened a fitness center, Ignite Wellness, in anticipation of serving the men and women of Keystone.
Remember how Biden loved to talk about the “empty chair at the table,” and seeing his father desperate to find work? Well, Tricia described the personal devastation Biden caused. She said that “the executive orders started coming in, and when he signed the bill to pull the permit, it was a tough, tough moment here at Ignite.”
Loss of Keystone XL pipeline is a punch to Philip, SD, local business owners say
Over a dozen business owners — proprietors from hotels to gas stops to fitness shops — gathered in an ambulance garage in Philip, S.D., on Monday to tell three Republican congressmen what the demise of the Keystone XL pipeline will mean for their economic livelihoods. Written By: Christopher Vondracek | ×
Residents of Philip, S.D., and the surrounding region in western South Dakota gathered on Monday, Feb. 8, in the ambulance garage to share economic impact stories in the aftermath of the Keystone XL pipeline project's revocation with three members of Congress, including Rep. Dusty Johnson. From left: Jerry Kroetch of Scotchman Industries, a local manufacturer, and Rita and Glenn O'Connell, owners of O'Connell Construction. (Christopher Vondracek / Forum News Service)
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Alongside Johnson was Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington.
February 8, 2021
Johnson was joined by Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington.
After President Joe Biden signed an executive order canceling the work permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, small town communities like Philip are left to fill a hole in their local economies.
“Philip’s been a town for quite a while, it’s been slowly – I would say – getting smaller,” said Brandon West, the owner of 73 Bar & Lounge/Motel West. “This is an opportunity, I felt like, to grow our community and now, we’re going to be at a loss.”