And Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, says he’s “disappointed” in the decision, but he still plans to pursue a “fresh start” with Obama. Here is an update on the status of other major pipeline proposals in Canada as well as a look at the amount of oil shipped by rail.
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“The Obama admin’s politically motivated rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is a self-inflicted attack on the US economy and jobs”, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said on Twitter.
Obama explained that he was primarily concerned that the pipeline could contribute to global warming.
Obama cited several key reasons for rejecting the pipeline project: the pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to the U.S. economy, said the president, nor would it lower gas prices for United States citizens or increase the country’s energy security.
Miles of unused pipe outside Gascoyne, North Dakota, prepared for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in October 2014.
JUDY WOODRUFF: President Obama had faced considerable pressure from the left to act, while he kept his own opinion under wraps.
Fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany says the decision is a giant missed opportunity for the country. We have not only succeeded in stopping the Keystone XL pipeline, we’ve awakened a grassroots climate movement.
“Paving the way for something like the Keystone Pipeline would be a step backward, and I’m glad to see that President Obama and Secretary Kerry today are rejecting the Keystone permits”, he said. Tar sands oil in Alberta is dirty, but the pipeline itself would have had a negligible impact on climate change.
The announcement came two days after the State Department had denied Calgary, Alberta-based TransCanada’s request to temporarily suspend its review of the company’s application.
“TransCanada and its shippers remain absolutely committed to building this important energy infrastructure project”, TransCanada’s President and CEO Russ Girling said in a statement.
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But Democrats, particularly those with long records of environmental advocacy, hailed the decision.
