Obama kills Keystone Oil Pipeline

The Keystone Pipeline will bring oil from Canada to refineries in Texas. This pipeline will create thousands of jobs and bring oil from our most reliable trading partner - Canada. On Jan 18, 2012, Obama rejected the pipeline. 

According to Obama, “the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment."(1) 

Obama said he was opposed to “the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people.”(1)

This is all a lie by Obama - a lie the mainstream media is only too willing to keep telling the public. For instance, an AP article written by Josh Funk on Sep 6, 2012 stated ”President Barack Obama rejected TransCanada’s original application for a federal permit to build the pipeline in January. . . after congressional Republicans imposed a deadline for approval that didn’t allow enough time to address questions about the route through Nebraska.”(2)

First, this application was filed in 2008. If Obama can’t make a decision in 3 years, how long will it take? It was time for Congress to set a deadline and force Obama to make a decision. This was an election year stunt by Obama, blaming Republicans for the cancellation of the pipeline. In truth, it was just dirty politics by Obama - putting politics ahead of America's energy needs. 

Second, Critics say the pipeline will go through an environmentally sensitive area - the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska. Congress did NOT force Obama into a yes/no choice about the pipeline. “The statute specifically allowed him to approve the line subject to “the reconsideration of routing … within the State of Nebraska” (Section 501(d)(1)). It provided for a further “review period” for that section of line (Section 501(d)(2)) and instructed the president to coordinate the review with the state (Section 501(d)(3)).”(3)

Third, Obama made a conscious decision to kill the pipeline because he judged it was more politically expedient to block the project than disappoint the environmental lobbying groups who form a key part of his political base. Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, director of the international program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in an interview. “I don’t think that they are predisposed to approving the pipeline. We’re going to declare victory today and tomorrow we’ll deal with the new application.” 

Fourth, by preventing the pipeline from being built, Obama forces the US to stay dependent on oil from the unpredicable Middle East and America-hating Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Not very smart.

Critics say the pipeline could leak. True, but there are thousands of pipelines across the country that carry oil and natural gas to homes, businesses, storage facilities, etc. Right now there are 12 oil pipelines that cross into the US from Canada. Should we dig all these pipelines up? The fact that the Keystone pipeline could leak isn’t unique - it’s just like all the other pipelines in the country.(4)

Canada has said if Obama kills the pipeline, Canada will ship the oil to Asian markets.(5)