Obama Vetoes Keystone XL Pipeline Bill; Cities Rush

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President Obama Feb. 24 carried out his threat and vetoed a bipartisan-backed bill authorizing the Key­stone XL pipeline. The president’s veto came nearly two weeks after the House and Senate passed the legislation. In a statement, the president said his action was “not a judgment on the merits” of the pipeline, “but 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.” The TransCan­ada Corp. pipeline would carry 830,000 bbld of mostly Canadian oil sands crude to Nebraska en route to refineries and ports along the U.S. Gulf. Pipeline review has been pending for more than six years.

“I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my administra­tion’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil,” Obama said. “Under my administration, domestic oil and natural gas production is up, while imports of foreign oil are down. In the months ahead we will continue to look for new ways to partner with the oil and gas industry to increase our energy security, including the potential development of an oil pipeline from Cushing, Okla. to the Gulf of Mexico—even as we set higher efficiency standards for cars and trucks and invest in alternatives like biofuels and natural gas. And we will do so in a way that benefits American workers and businesses without risking the health and safety of the American people and the environment.”

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair­woman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, criticized the Obama veto of the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, legislation that would have approved the cross-border permit and allow construction to proceed. “Today, President Obama said no to job creation, no to new energy infrastructure, no to affordable energy, and no to greater North American energy security. With this veto of the Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama turned his back on hard-working Americans, hard-working families, and the businesses that grow our nation’s economy. This veto was a short-sighted, politically driven mistake. It is a failure of leadership because America needs energy and infrastructure.”

Said American Petroleum Institute president and CEO Jack Gerard, “We urge president Obama to look at hisadministration’s State Department review…and see that the facts and the science back approval of this pipeline. We agree with his commentary on bipartisan cooperation and the need to move forward on critical infrastructure proj­ects, and the importance of securing an American econ­omy that supports the middle class. But instead of saying yes to 42,000 good-paying jobs and enhanced North American energy security, this veto proved again that it is politics as usual here in Washington. Instead of standing with 72% of Americans, including the majority of Demo­crats who support the pipeline, this decision continues us down the path of indecision and delay.”

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