Research

Obama’s Decision To Punt On The Keystone Pipeline And Creating Jobs Was A Political Decision

The Detroit News: Obama’s Decision To Delay A Decision On The Keystone Pipeline Is More Evidence That The President Is Now In Campaign Mode. “Listen to chants of the Occupy Wall Street protesters: ‘What do we want? Jobs! When do we want them? Now!’ So when does President Barack Obama plan to give them the 18,000 direct construction jobs promised by the Keystone XL pipeline project? Maybe after the 2012 election. Maybe not. More evidence that the president is now in campaign mode comes from his announcement last week that he won't make a decision on the pipeline that will carry crude oil from the Canadian oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries until after his re-election bid is over. Keystone XL is a major infrastructure project of the sort Obama said he wanted for America when he proposed the $450 billion Stimulus II. The only difference is that the jobs will be entirely funded by private investment, and not taxpayer dollars.” (Editorial, “Pipeline Delay An Insult To Jobless,” The Detroit News, 11/14/11)

The Houston Chronicle: The Obama Administration’s Decision To Postpone Ruling On The Keystone Pipeline Is A “Poorly Disguised Political Punt” With “2012 Presidential Politics Written All Over It.” “The Obama administration's decision to postpone a ruling on the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline till 2013 is a poorly disguised political punt. The ruling has 2012 presidential politics written all over it, despite the environmental reasons given. By delaying a decision on the $7 billion project, which is ‘shovel-ready’ and would immediately produce an estimated 20,000 well-paying jobs in this country, Obama has avoided offending environmentalists on his party's left, a key fund-raising and voting bloc. We understand that. In a close election, these votes could make a crucial difference for the president. But the administration’s attempts to cover this self-evident situation with a variety of fig leaves are utterly disingenuous.” (Editorial, “Keystone Pipeline Delay Is The Wrong Call,” Houston Chronicle, 11/11/11)

• “This Decision To Delay Is A Calculated Bet That Alienating Green Voters Is A Bigger Risk Than Putting Off The Construction Of What Is A Key Component In Reaching Eventual National Energy Independence While Lessening Exposure To Resources Controlled By Unstable Governments.” (Editorial, “Keystone Pipeline Delay Is The Wrong Call,” Houston Chronicle, 11/11/11)

The Washington Post: Rejecting The Keystone Pipeline Would Help China Lock Up More Of The World’s Oil Production And Cost Infrastructure Jobs In The U.S. “The United States must reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, from any source, and it should encourage nations such as China to lower the carbon intensity of their economies, too. Even if that happens, though, the world will continue to use oil, with all the dirty realities that entails. Rejecting Keystone XL would not change that fact. But it would help China lock up more of the world’s oil production, cost infrastructure jobs in the United States and offend a reliable ally. More delay after three years of review is insult enough.” (Editorial, “Washington’s Unwelcome Delay In The Keystone XL Pipeline Project” The Washington Post, 11/12/11)

Former DNC Chairman Gov. Howard Dean: “Of Course He Made A Political Decision.” NBC’S ANDREA MITCHELL:  “So you’re saying that he made a political decision, that they basically made a political decision, not a substantive decision --” DEAN: “Of course he made a political decision. Of course - well I have no idea if it was substantive. I think the Nebraska people had a legitimate concern about the aquifer. But if I’m his political adviser, I’m saying you do not get into this before the election, you can’t do that.” (MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” 11/11/11)

Obama Senior Adviser David Axelrod: “It Will Create Some Jobs” But That Doesn’t Matter. AXELROD:  “Well, that is a point that's in dispute. It will create some jobs and there’s no doubt about it. The estimates have run from 5,000 to the proponents of it say 100,000. But the point is, Joe, whatever happens with that pipeline, it has to make sense from the standpoint of the health and safety of the American people. And I think, you know, this was a State Department decision. I think it was the right decision.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,”  11/11/11) 

CNN’s David Gergen: Obama Punted On The Keystone Pipeline At The Benefit Of China And America’s Detriment. BLITZER:  “All right, Jill. Thanks very much. Let's go back to David Gergen to discuss this because a lot of people are outraged. They've been studying this pipeline for a long time. And a lot of President Obama's critics are saying, he punted -- he couldn't make a decision so he decided to hold off because of the politics for at least a year until after next year's election basically saying, we'll deal with it another time and environmentalists don't like it and a lot of unions do. What do you think, David?” GERGEN:  “I think unfortunately Wolf the president did punt. And this project has been understudied by the state department for three years. They've had on a couple of occasions multivolume reports saying it's environmentally insignificant. There's not a real danger to the environment. Here at the last minute, they pull back from a decision that everybody expected them to make by now. There's no -- the only -- this is similar to what they've done in other areas of the environment and energy, they postponed a number of decisions until after the election because they don't want to have to -- inevitable making this decision will alienate some block of voters so they are making a political decision. One other aspect is really important, I’ve been up to Canada a couple of times in recent weeks and spoken to the business leaders there. To a person they say, you folks in the United States don't really understand this very well. We've had this project -- we've always seen you as Americans, as our chief partner for oil and gas. This was a big project together. If you guys are not going -- if you're going to screw around with this for a long time. We've got another partner that really wants to work with us and that's China. Their sentiment is changing in Canada. Maybe we oughta work with the Chinese.” (CNN’s, “The Situation Room, 11/11/11)