Obama Says He Wants To Build Infrastructure But Still Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline
President Obama gave a speech yesterday supposedly about infrastructure and the economy, though it was difficult to tell, since he spent most of the speech attacking and mocking Republicans. (For instance, the word “infrastructure” appears only twice in the speech, “jobs” seven times, but the word “Republican” appears ten times.) Despite that the president did say that “we are not spending enough on the things that help our economy grow, the things that help businesses move products….”
But the president continues to stall and block a project that would create jobs almost immediately and “help businesses move products,” the Keystone XL pipeline. Not only would the pipeline create jobs, it would move oil from Canada and North Dakota safely and easily to American refineries on the Gulf Coast. In addition, it would help the United States get more energy from our friends in Canada instead of in the Middle East. And yet the Obama administration is still letting this project languish without the permits it needs to move forward after years and years of studies and reports.
There is broad public support for building the pipeline, as The Washington Post noted last week. In an article titled “Support for Keystone XL pipeline is almost universal,” The Post wrote, “Even Democrats who prefer to develop alternate energy sources before expanding the use of fossil fuels say they want the Keystone XL pipeline built. The new Pew ‘Political Typology’ report shows huge majorities of all four Democratic-leaning groups support the development of wind, solar and hydrogen alternatives to oil, coal and natural gas. But of those same four groups, the Keystone XL pipeline is still overwhelmingly popular in three of them. . . . It's not unusual for polls to show overwhelming support for Keystone. We've seen that for years. What the new poll shows is that even left-leaning voters who see themselves as environmentally conscious, pro-wind and pro-solar don't believe that Keystone runs contrary to that ultimate goal.”
As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been saying for years, this project is a “no-brainer.” It costs taxpayers nothing, creates jobs, builds infrastructure, repairs an unnecessary strain in our relationship with Canada, and has the potential to help alleviate high gas prices. In spite of all of this, the president still won’t approve the project. And Senate Democrat leaders continue to block votes on it while other Democrats who say they support the pipeline won’t challenge their leaders over it.
The Hill reported last week, “Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) needled red-state Democrats for having little influence in pushing Keystone XL on Wednesday, reigniting a Senate floor battle over the controversial oil pipeline. ‘These Senate Democrats just can’t stop boasting about how much supposed influence they have on energy issues. But it’s a really baffling claim to the rest of us, because it’s hard to point to what they’ve actually accomplished,’ McConnell said on the floor. ‘Take the Keystone Pipeline. The Senate Democrats I’m referring to claim to have so much influence within their party to get it approved,’ he continued. But McConnell argued that vulnerable incumbents such as Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who support the pipeline, have lacked the juice to make legislative progress on Keystone XL. ‘When it comes right down to it, they haven’t even been able to secure a serious, gimmick-free floor vote from the majority leader to approve the Keystone pipeline,’ McConnell said. He criticized centrist Democrats who support Keystone XL for standing by passively, when a group of Republicans tried Tuesday to call up a bill sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Landrieu that would approve the controversial pipeline. ‘They can’t credibly claim to have influence on issues like these even as they let their party leaders shoot down almost every effort to achieve the things they claim to want — like Keystone,’ McConnell said. ‘Frankly, it’s hard to see how we could ever hope to get a Keystone bill over to the president’s desk and signed into law while Democrats run the Senate,’ he added.”
Tags: President Obama, infrastructure, Keystone XL Pipeline, jobs, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
But the president continues to stall and block a project that would create jobs almost immediately and “help businesses move products,” the Keystone XL pipeline. Not only would the pipeline create jobs, it would move oil from Canada and North Dakota safely and easily to American refineries on the Gulf Coast. In addition, it would help the United States get more energy from our friends in Canada instead of in the Middle East. And yet the Obama administration is still letting this project languish without the permits it needs to move forward after years and years of studies and reports.
There is broad public support for building the pipeline, as The Washington Post noted last week. In an article titled “Support for Keystone XL pipeline is almost universal,” The Post wrote, “Even Democrats who prefer to develop alternate energy sources before expanding the use of fossil fuels say they want the Keystone XL pipeline built. The new Pew ‘Political Typology’ report shows huge majorities of all four Democratic-leaning groups support the development of wind, solar and hydrogen alternatives to oil, coal and natural gas. But of those same four groups, the Keystone XL pipeline is still overwhelmingly popular in three of them. . . . It's not unusual for polls to show overwhelming support for Keystone. We've seen that for years. What the new poll shows is that even left-leaning voters who see themselves as environmentally conscious, pro-wind and pro-solar don't believe that Keystone runs contrary to that ultimate goal.”
As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been saying for years, this project is a “no-brainer.” It costs taxpayers nothing, creates jobs, builds infrastructure, repairs an unnecessary strain in our relationship with Canada, and has the potential to help alleviate high gas prices. In spite of all of this, the president still won’t approve the project. And Senate Democrat leaders continue to block votes on it while other Democrats who say they support the pipeline won’t challenge their leaders over it.
The Hill reported last week, “Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) needled red-state Democrats for having little influence in pushing Keystone XL on Wednesday, reigniting a Senate floor battle over the controversial oil pipeline. ‘These Senate Democrats just can’t stop boasting about how much supposed influence they have on energy issues. But it’s a really baffling claim to the rest of us, because it’s hard to point to what they’ve actually accomplished,’ McConnell said on the floor. ‘Take the Keystone Pipeline. The Senate Democrats I’m referring to claim to have so much influence within their party to get it approved,’ he continued. But McConnell argued that vulnerable incumbents such as Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who support the pipeline, have lacked the juice to make legislative progress on Keystone XL. ‘When it comes right down to it, they haven’t even been able to secure a serious, gimmick-free floor vote from the majority leader to approve the Keystone pipeline,’ McConnell said. He criticized centrist Democrats who support Keystone XL for standing by passively, when a group of Republicans tried Tuesday to call up a bill sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Landrieu that would approve the controversial pipeline. ‘They can’t credibly claim to have influence on issues like these even as they let their party leaders shoot down almost every effort to achieve the things they claim to want — like Keystone,’ McConnell said. ‘Frankly, it’s hard to see how we could ever hope to get a Keystone bill over to the president’s desk and signed into law while Democrats run the Senate,’ he added.”
Tags: President Obama, infrastructure, Keystone XL Pipeline, jobs, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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