Keystone Cops
The Obama administration has been dithering since the summer on the Keystone XL pipeline. For his labor allies, the project could result in 13,000 union jobs, another 118,000 spin-off jobs and some $20 billion in investment.
By
COLLIN LEVY
The Obama administration has been dithering since the summer on the Keystone XL pipeline, a TransCanada pipeline that would eventually bring about 830,000 barrels of crude from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries in Texas and Oklahoma. For President Obama's labor allies, the project could result in 13,000 union jobs, another 118,000 spin-off jobs and some $20 billion in investment. As an economic booster, that's a good measure better than the administration's record on loan guarantees for green energy companies.
But who needs energy security or job creation when you have environmental activists? In Nebraska on Tuesday, lawmakers opened a special legislative session as opponents of the plan sought to reroute the pipeline. Also raging against the plan are Mr. Obama's environmental constituents, who fear the pipeline would leak or harm forests in pass-through states, despite evidence to the contrary. Mr. Obama played to the fears in his Nebraska interview, noting that Nebraska folks didn't want the extra jobs the project would bring "if it means our kids are potentially drinking water that would damage their health."
The decision to proceed with the pipeline technically falls with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and some expected Mr. Obama might try to keep any decision at arm's length to defray the political fallout. In an interview with Omaha TV station KETV on Tuesday, however, Mr. Obama said that the State Department would be bringing the final report to him and that he would be considering the "health" of the American people, as well as "what's best for our economy short term and long term."
Since the TransCanada Pipeline filed for approval back in 2008, the project has undergone innumerable reviews by regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation. The State Department's Environmental Impact Review found that the plan would have no significant irreparable effect on the environment. A White House decision is expected by the end of the year
