Obama will decide on Keystone pipeline during his term - In spite of Republican Resistance



The Keystone XL oil pipeline has been stalled for about six years

The White House has said it intends to rule on the fate of the Keystone XL oil pipeline before the end of President Barack Obama's term.

The company behind the pipeline, TransCanada, wanted to delay the approval process until after his term...probably hoping the next president will be a staunch Republican and welcome the project.
The White House said on Tuesday "there might be politics at play" in the decision by TransCanada.
The company had complained for years about delays from the Obama administration and had aggressively urged that the project be approved as quickly as possible.

The Keystone XL would send more than 800,000 barrels a day of mostly Canadian oil to Nebraska. From there, the oil would travel to refineries and ports along the US Gulf Coast.
The project has pitted Republicans and other supporters - who say it will create much needed jobs - against many Democrats and environmentalists, who warn the pipeline will add to carbon emissions and contribute to global warming.

President Obama vetoed a Republican bill approving the pipeline in February.
All the Democratic candidates for president - including front-runner Hillary Clinton - oppose the project. The Republican field supports the pipeline. But the final decision has been suspended by a tug of war between two strongly committed, opposing groups.
Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was a strong proponent of the pipeline, but his successor Justin Trudeau - while environmentally conscious - has yet to reveal his intentions. A general consensus of opinion thinks he will carefully weigh the pros and cons in regards to the welfare of Canada and, hopefully, come out in favor of the reduction of carbon emissions.  He will attend the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Paris, from November 30 to December 11. And then we will hear something definitive from him.


The Keystone XL pipeline project was first proposed more than six years ago, but has languished, awaiting a permit required by the federal government because it would cross an international boundary. All that money in limbo would be far better spent researching alternative fuels.