The State Department on?Thursday announced that it?s punting a decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline until at least the first quarter of 2013 ? pushing off a no-win decision for President Barack Obama until well after the 2012 election.
The State Department said it needs more time to "undertake an in-depth assessment of potential alternative routes in Nebraska."
Continue ReadingCarney on Keystone XL pipeline
Obama said in statement that he supports delaying?a decision.
?Because this permit decision could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment, and because a number of concerns have been raised through a public process, we should take the time to ensure that all questions are properly addressed and all the potential impacts are properly understood,? Obama said. ?The final decision should be guided by an open, transparent process that is informed by the best available science and the voices of the American people. At the same time, my administration will build on the unprecedented progress we?ve made towards strengthening our nation?s energy security, from responsibly expanding domestic oil and gas production to nearly doubling the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks, to continued progress in the development of a clean energy economy."
Environmental groups have been protesting the pipeline that would run from Alberta oil sands to Texas refineries, and there have been rumblings that greens would abandon Obama next fall if he approved it. At the same time, labor unions have backed the pipeline, arguing that it would create badly needed jobs for American workers.
House Speaker John Boehner said the administration?s decision to put off a decision represents a ?failure of leadership.?
?More than 20,000 new American jobs have just been sacrificed in the name of political expediency,? Boehner said in a statement. ?The current project has already been deemed environmentally sound, and calling for a new route is nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to avoid upsetting the president?s political base before the election.?
Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney dodged a question about a possible delay. Asked whether the president would like to see the decision postponed until after the 2012 elections, Carney said: "The president wants the best possible decision.? He added: "I can tell you the president made clear what the criteria are ? and none of those criteria are political."
For months, the conventional wisdom had been that a presidential permit for Keystone XL was inevitable; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in October 2010 that she was ?inclined? to approve it because it was better to get oil from Canada than from less-friendly nations. The State Department then released a final supplemental environmental assessment in August stating that TransCanada?s proposed route is the preferred option.
But the environmentalist protests led by 350.org activist Bill McKibben, as well as opposition in Republican-friendly Nebraska to the proposed route, seem to have led the administration to delay the decision.
Obama himself last week told a Nebraska TV reporter that he would weigh several environmental factors once the department delivers its verdict for him to consider, raising uncertainty about the direction he will take.
Nebraska officials have expressed concern about the proposed route through the state?s Sand Hills region and the Ogallala aquifer, which is used as a key source of drinking water and irrigation for several states.
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