Barack Obama must have felt like the wishbone from a turkey over the Keystone XL pipeline. Key groups of Democratic supporters are split, labor for and environmentalists against. At one point he had an environmental impact statement saying that it was environmentally safe, but then he learned that the statement had been rigged, and was nothing more than a claim from the pipeline company. So he correctly put the project on hold until an honest environmental impact statement could be prepared. It’s my guess that Republicans knew that an honest impact statement would kill the pipeline, because in return for a two month payroll tax cut extension, they demanded a decision on Keystone XL by next month, before an honest impact statement could be prepared in the hopes of bullying an approval from him. Their tactic did not work and Obama did the right thing.

The Obama administration on Wednesday denied a permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, touching off a torrent of criticism from Republicans – whom the White House blamed for forcing a decision. President Barack Obama, who was under a 60-day deadline imposed by congressional Republicans, left open the door to approve the 1,661-mile pipeline in the future. He also suggested the possibility of an alternative pipeline that could get Canadian oil sands crude to refineries and ports in Texas. The company that wants to build Keystone XL, TransCanada Corp., said Wednesday it would apply for a new permit that, if approved, would allow the pipeline to be built by late 2014. The decision was fraught with political complications for Obama over issues of energy security, jobs and the environment. Environmentalists had made the project a test case on whether the administration was serious about fighting climate change. And though Obama didn’t rule out future pipelines, they declared victory. Business groups, congressional Republicans and the GOP’s presidential candidates hammered Obama for rejecting the project, which they said would create jobs. In a statement, Obama said he was siding with his State Department and denying the permit because of a "rushed and arbitrary deadline" that congressional Republicans attached to a payroll tax-cut extension in December… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Kansas City Star>

What the article does not make clear is that Obama has to leave the door open, because the law allows any company to apply for such a permit at any time. It is my belief that they cannot meet required environmental standards. Otherwise, they would not have faked the original study.

Ed Schultz discusses the decision with Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY).

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