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South Dakota Hotel Owners Describe Impact of Keystone Cancellation
by Bowen Xiao

This is part three of a series exploring the effects of President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

MIDLAND, S.D.—“My husband just called me … he just got fired,” said Laurie Cox, her voice trembling ever so slightly as she put on a brave smile. But it was impossible to ignore her now-crestfallen demeanor.

Cox is the owner of a hotel in Midland, a quaint town with a population of about 100. She had just finished talking about how business was booming late last year during which she had befriended people working on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Workers would return from their shifts from a handful of nearby pump stations to unwind at the hotel since it was just a short drive away. Cox recalls having dinner together with the workers and lively chats night after night, many became close with her pet dog—a cute canine called Heidi.

Her husband, Wallace Cox Jr., was an industrial mechanic who had been setting pumps in Minnesota before he was laid off on Feb. 10. He was also scheduled to work on the Keystone XL pipeline—specifically on pumps in Montana in the upcoming summer.

The hotel’s picturesque scene crumbled almost instantly after President Joe Biden shut down the pipeline on Jan. 20 through an executive order. The cancellation was among one of his first moves as president.

“The workers staying here all came to me and said well that’s it—we’re done, we’re going home,” Laurie told The Epoch Times, as she described the scene following the news. “As he was signing that executive order, they were getting the lay-offs.”

Continues - site has paywall w/ some free articles each month:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/hotel-owners-left-shattered-in-wake-of-keystone-pipeline-shutdown_3699134.html?utm_source=newsnoe&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-02-19-3

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