Fox Business reporter Tracey Byrnes asserted on Monday that oils spills were just “distractions” — like Oreo cookies — that activists used to delay building the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States.

Over the weekend, an oil spill in Galveston Bay in Texas caused the Houston Ship Channel to be closed indefinitely, endangering a nearby wildlife sanctuary.

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Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard reported that 168,000 gallons of oil could have spilled from a barge, marking the largest spill in the Gulf of Mexico since 210 million gallons gushed out of the Deep Water Horizon four years ago.

“There could be hundreds or thousands of birds of various species in the area affected by the spill,” Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesperson Tom Harvey said Sunday afternoon. “Oiled birds are being taken to triage trailers with hot water and basic facilities to begin cleaning the birds, staged near the spill area.”

But on Monday’s edition of Varney & Co., guest host Charles Payne was more concerned about the threat to the fossil fuel industry.

“Anytime we hear these kind of things, it feels like another impediment to growing out our fossil fuel industry, another thing for environmentalists to rally around, although we know accidents are bound to happen,” Payne said.

“Just do the Keystone Pipeline already!” Byrnes exclaimed. “Create all these jobs. Enough of the nonsense, these are all distractions.”

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“That’s all they are,” she insisted. “Much like anybody who wants to lose five pounds has a Oreos in front of them. Just get rid of the Oreos, and you’ll be fine. Same thing. Do the pipeline.”

Watch the video below from Fox Business, broadcast March 24, 2014.

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(h/t: Media Matters)