Keystone XL Pipeline Debate Analysis

Today, the Trump administration granted approval of Keystone XL pipeline. Although the long winded effort of protesters were able to delay further action, the project is back for more. To gain the approval of republican party, Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise tweeted, “Thank you @POTUS for approving the Keystone XL pipeline, creating thousands of jobs for Americans & unleashing our energy independence!” Unlike many of the tweets that say something along the lines of, “it’s happening and you’re going to like it” by the Republican party, I felt this one was good at highlighting benefits that Americans truly care about right now. However, their PR efforts continue to fall short. Many of the protestors are pointing to the state department report that argues that it would only require 35 full time employees and 15 part time employees once the pipeline opens.

Their lack of care for the Native American community and their sacred burial grounds have caused the people to see the pipeline as solely a money maker that will lead to further pollution. I would recommend them at least addressing the people’s concerns to make it seem like they are listening. After addressing them, they could use a strategy to increase their approval ratings based on the ideas of the people. Or they could create even more jobs by implementing green energy projects, but I’ll let that one go. In class this week, we had our presentations of a company’s corporate communication strategy. It was interesting to see how other students tackled the project. Some focused on key aspects of the communication, like how Blaine talked about the management-employee relationship and communication tools. This also reminds us that each company centers their business around different stakeholders which makes their strategies so