Congress Should Override Obama’s No on Keystone Pipeline

by Brian McGraw on January 18, 2012

in Blog

The Competitive Enterprise Institute today reacted to President Barack Obama’s decision to block construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline by urging the House of Representatives to revive legislation that would take the decision out of the President’s hands and direct a federal agency to permit the project. The 1700-mile Keystone XL Pipeline would move over half a million barrels of oil a day from Canada’s Alberta province and from the Bakken Field in North Dakota to refineries in Texas and Louisiana.

“We urge the House of Representatives to include a provision in the payroll tax cut extension bill that must be enacted by the end of February that would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to permit the project within thirty days,” said Myron Ebell, Director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “As oil production in Venezuela and Mexico likely declines dramatically in the next few years, the Obama Administration’s claim that importing more oil from Canada is not in the national interest is preposterous.”

“President Barack Obama’s decision to block construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline should make clear to all Americans that when he says over and over again that ‘we can’t wait’ to create jobs and economic growth, it is merely hypocritical political posturing,” Ebell continued. “Contrary to his phony rhetoric, President Obama’s real goals are to reduce energy supplies, raise energy prices for American consumers, and destroy jobs.”

“By rejecting the Keystone Pipeline, President Obama has made clear that he values radical environmentalists above jobs and even his core union constituency. From the AFL-CIO Building Trade Unions to the Teamsters, labor has voiced their support for the much needed jobs and energy security the pipeline would create,” said F. Vincent Vernuccio, Labor Policy Counsel at CEI. “Even Obama’s own President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness said Tuesday we need pipelines for employment and security. The president must change course and make jobs and energy security his first priority.”

Language from Representative Lee Terry’s (R-Neb.) bill, H. R. 3548, was included as a provision in the House of Representatives’ original legislation extending the payroll tax cut. That provision directed FERC to permit the Keystone XL Pipeline within thirty days after the route was finalized with the State of Nebraska. The final bill signed by President Obama replaced the House provision with the Senate version that instead required the President to make a decision on the pipeline within sixty days based on the national interest.

Scott January 18, 2012 at 7:35 pm

SO angry he would do this after all the talk about creating energy security, creation of jobs, turning this down turn in new infastructer that would lead the US into the future. Was a bunch of crap Im voting Ron Paul or Romney they will do what they say he has proven that he is in the Socialist and big arab oils back pocket!!!!!

BobRGeologist January 19, 2012 at 2:26 am

I am not surprised at this move by Obama. I believe he has no knowledge of the science involved here and is totally influenced by the environmental lobby. There is no need to fear greenhouse gases, particularly CO2, an essential gas for the welfare of our plant life and food supply for human and animal life. We are in a glacial climate with both polar areas iced up and vulnerable to the return of the next (#6 epoch) of major Pleistocene glaciations in the northern hemisphere, a major blow for mankind. We need for our world to warm up several degrees. The fiasco of Global Warming is totally fictional in its supposedly danger to man. Gore and company are delusional idiots to think otherwise. A study of past climates proves my poiunt

Don Frazier January 20, 2012 at 3:31 pm

Any American with the ability to reason can surly figure out what the Obama gang is doing to our country. They have no techincal sense or desire to turn our contry around, and this pipeline decision tells it all. If Obama is relected I will finally realize that the majority of people living in this great country are totally ignorant, and will deserve the after shocks for their effort. I have great concern for my grand children and all others that will have to live in a future third world country.

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