I feel like I’ve been hearing about this darn Keystone Pipeline since the Clinton administration, and mostly it just conjures memories of tossing back Keystone lights into the wee hours of the night with friends “back in the day.” Sadly, it has nothing to do with beer; rather it’s designed to transport one of the few liquids mankind has deemed more valuable than beer: the “black gold” known as oil.

The “O” word will immediately inspire the gut reaction of dogmatic environmentalists to proclaim in Frankenstein-like fashion “Oil BAAAADDDDD!”, and there are certainly reasons to be concerned with pollution stemming from fossil fuels. This is likely the reason most Democrats oppose the bill to complete construction of the Keystone Pipeline in the United States. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Republicans support the bill…because business.

When I say vast majority, I couldn’t be more accurate, as literally every Republican Congressman except one voted for the Keystone Pipeline bill. That lone “No” vote goes to Justin Amash, who is lavishly praised by libertarians and the “liberty-leaning” as a rare example of a stellar, principled congressman. So why’s Justin Amash all worked up about this Keystone Pipeline? He answered that question…on Facebook, of course!

I love that Justin Amash explains his votes on every single bill on his social media platforms. As far as I know no other congressman goes out of his way to explain the specific reasons he votes for or against every single bill. Even when you disagree with him, it’s respectable that he actually cares to explain himself. It’s almost as if he actually cares about his constituency!

It’s very commendable that Amash has not just gone along with the crowd here, and he probably wouldn’t have faced too much criticism even from libertarians – who all too often seem to default to the side of “big business” as a gut reaction – if he had. But Amash’s reason for the no vote is sound and principled. I’m against the very existence of the EPA – which sets arbitrary rules and limits regarding pollution with no regard for property rights or actual damage incurred by pollution – but to exempt only one specific company for one specific project from certain regulations is wrong, and as Amash points out, pure crony capitalism.

As I wrote this past June in regards to the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court ruling, equality under the law is of utmost importance. If certain EPA regulations are preventing the TransCanada company from completing the Keystone Pipeline and Congress feels those regulations are unjust, then they should attempt to change those regulations. If the regulations are unnecessary for one company they should be unnecessary for all, but to exempt one specific company while others remain beholden to them is inconsistent and unprincipled.

Toss in the fact that TransCanada has been attempting to use eminent domain to seize land in the United States to complete this project, and I’m all for Justin Amash standing up against it. And unlike the “OIL BAAAAADDDD” crowd, he actually has a principled reason for doing so.

Amash’s vote may not have much of an effect as the bill passed and is destined for a veto, but if nothing else it earns him some Lions of Liberty Kudos. And you just can’t put a price on that!

Liberty Links!

Democrats choose Philadelphia for their 2016 convention so they can have a “patriotic backdrop” including the Liberty Bell and Declaration of Independence – are they trolling?

The IRS is seizing nearly $19,000 from a woman who deposited her deceased husband’s savings in increments.

A man who killed an officer during a no-knock SWAT raid will not face charges (rightly so.)

Judge rules you can’t sue NSA for secretly spying on you unless you can prove they are secretly spying on you.

Man wrongfully imprisoned for 26 YEARS because cops HID evidence.

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