Obama defends lengthy vetting process for Keystone XL
President Obama on Wednesday defended the protracted process his administration is using to decide whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.
Obama’s comments, made with Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper by his side, are his first on the pipeline since a State Department report issued earlier this month concluded the pipeline will have a negligible impact on climate because expanded development of carbon-heavy tar sands of northwest Canada is inevitable, with or without the pipeline.
“There has been a process that Keystone has gone through, and I know it’s been extensive — and at times I’m sure Stephen feels a little too laborious,” Obama told reporters at a joint news conference with Harper and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at the North American Leaders Summit. “But these are how we make these decisions about something that could potentially have significant impact on America’s economy and America’s national interest.”
Obama reiterated his stance that Keystone’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions would weigh heavily in his decision on whether to approve the pipeline that will carry carbon-heavy tar sands oil from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico.
“Frankly it has to affect all of our decisions at this stage, because the science is irrefutable,” Obama said. “We are already seeing severe weather patterns increase. It has consequences for our businesses, for our jobs, for our families, for safety and security. It has the potential of displacing people in ways that we cannot currently fully anticipate.”
The Canadian premier, who has pressed Obama to approve the project in the past, said he and Obama spoke about Keystone during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of Wednesday’s summit in Toluca, Mexico.
“In terms of climate change, I think the State Department was pretty definitive on that issue,” Harper said.
The State Department is in the midst of a 90-day interagency review to determine whether the pipeline is in the USA’s best interest. The finding will be delivered to Obama by Secretary of State John Kerry, but there is no deadline for Obama to make a decision.
Another wrench was thrown in the way of pipeline backers on Wednesday. A Nebraska judge struck down a Nebraska law that allowed the oil pipeline to cross the state.
The ruling could potentially cause further delays to the pipeline, which was first proposed during the George W. Bush administration.
Obama’s comments, made with Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper by his side, are his first on the pipeline since a State Department report issued earlier this month concluded the pipeline will have a negligible impact on climate because expanded development of carbon-heavy tar sands of northwest Canada is inevitable, with or without the pipeline.
“There has been a process that Keystone has gone through, and I know it’s been extensive — and at times I’m sure Stephen feels a little too laborious,” Obama told reporters at a joint news conference with Harper and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at the North American Leaders Summit. “But these are how we make these decisions about something that could potentially have significant impact on America’s economy and America’s national interest.”
Obama reiterated his stance that Keystone’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions would weigh heavily in his decision on whether to approve the pipeline that will carry carbon-heavy tar sands oil from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico.
“Frankly it has to affect all of our decisions at this stage, because the science is irrefutable,” Obama said. “We are already seeing severe weather patterns increase. It has consequences for our businesses, for our jobs, for our families, for safety and security. It has the potential of displacing people in ways that we cannot currently fully anticipate.”
The Canadian premier, who has pressed Obama to approve the project in the past, said he and Obama spoke about Keystone during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of Wednesday’s summit in Toluca, Mexico.
“In terms of climate change, I think the State Department was pretty definitive on that issue,” Harper said.
The State Department is in the midst of a 90-day interagency review to determine whether the pipeline is in the USA’s best interest. The finding will be delivered to Obama by Secretary of State John Kerry, but there is no deadline for Obama to make a decision.
Another wrench was thrown in the way of pipeline backers on Wednesday. A Nebraska judge struck down a Nebraska law that allowed the oil pipeline to cross the state.
The ruling could potentially cause further delays to the pipeline, which was first proposed during the George W. Bush administration.
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