At CPAC, I spoke with Charles Drevna, president of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, about the need for the Keystone XL pipeline.

He said we'll miss out on "a shovel-ready project" that would "immediately provide 20,000 jobs with the prospects of another" 100,000 jobs by moving 700,000 barrels of Canadian oil per day to "feed multiple refineries in the Gulf Coast."

I asked him why not build refineries closer to oil. He answered, "In order to build a refinery closer to the source you'll still need to build a pipeline to get the product out." Also, to build a refinery closer to Canada's oil sands would cost $3 billion and take 10-15 years for permitting and construction. In contrast, Keystone XL could be started now generating jobs and improving America's energy security. "It makes perfect sense to get 20,000 people working immediately to get the pipeline in," said Drevna.