Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Obama rejects oil pipeline from Canada, triggering loud controversy

Obama might not give a damn about the environment, unlike his supporters, but he is a politician. And this is an election year. He knows that he would be undermine his re-election chances. The President has a weak backbone and he'll bend when necessary. But if re-elected you can bet he'll renege and give the oil interests what they want:

The Obama administration on Wednesday denied a permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, touching off a torrent of criticism from Republicans - whom the White House blamed for forcing a decision.

President Barack Obama, who was under a 60-day deadline imposed by congressional Republicans, left open the door to approve the 1,661-mile pipeline in the future. He also suggested the possibility of an alternative pipeline that could get Canadian oil sands crude to refineries and ports in Texas.

The company that wants to build Keystone XL, TransCanada Corp., said Wednesday it would apply for a new permit that, if approved, would allow the pipeline to be built by late 2014.

The decision was fraught with political complications for Obama over issues of energy security, jobs and the environment. Environmentalists had made the project a test case on whether the administration was serious about fighting climate change. And though Obama didn't rule out future pipelines, they declared victory.
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