Rep. Gene Green Statement on Keystone Pipeline Decision

Instead of letting the decision fall to the next administration, President Barack Obama chose Friday to reject TransCanada’s application to build the pipeline after the company asked for a pause in the seven-year review process. He added that the pipeline project will not help in reducing gasoline prices and said that shipping “dirtier” crude oil from Canada will not help in boosting energy security in the U. S.

“As Secretary of State, I fully recognize the importance of this project to Canada, one of our closest strategic allies and energy trading partners”. “I look forward to a fresh start with President Obama to strengthen our remarkable ties in a spirit of friendship and co-operation”.

The pipeline was widely opposed by several environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and 350.org, which considered the Keystone XL Pipeline as a step backwards for climate change and would only encourage consumers to continue to rely on fossil fuels.

President Obama on Friday rejected the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.

According to the U.S. State Department, construction of the pipeline would have created or supported 20,000 jobs a year for two years, with about 3,700 of those jobs in eastern Montana.

The president of TransCanada, Russ Girling, says, “Misplaced symbolism was chosen over merit and science”.

Governor Ricketts believes President Obama’s decision was a politically motivated one.

August 26, 2011 – The State Department issues its final environmental impact statement determining “there would be no significant impacts to most resources along the proposed project corridor”. Such a resolution could steer humanity on a path toward a low-carbon future and away from catastrophic climate change.

“America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change”, he said. Congressman Ryan Zinke, Senator Steve Daines and Senator Jon Tester said it was a bad decision. Dan Kammen from the UC Berkeley Renewable Energy Lab said, “The United States is at the center of the world’s fracking boom, and so we have cheap oil and cheap natural gas”.

Trudeau has been vocal about the need to fight global warming and had not raised the pipeline with Obama when the President congratulated him on his electoral victory last month.