Today on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Obama’s former “Car Czar” Steve Rattner was added to the list of current/former Obama officials that support or believe the Keystone pipeline will create jobs.

Former Obama Advisor Steve Rattner Said Obama Should Approve The Pipeline Because His “Instinct Is We Need The Energy, We Need The Jobs And It Can Be Done In A Safe Way.” HAROLD FORD JR: “You think the Keystone, the pipeline, that the president should approve that before the year’s up? Do you think, is there a job creating mechanism?” STEVE RATTNER: “I’m not an expert, but my instinct is he should approve it. My instinct is we need the energy, we need the jobs and it can be done in a safe way.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 1/5/12)

Former Chairman Of The White House Council Of Economic Advisers Austan Goolsbee Said Opponents Of The Keystone Pipeline Are “Naïve.” “People in the U.S. opposing TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL pipeline are being ‘naïve,’ said Austan Goolsbee, former chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. ‘It’s a bit naïve to think the tar sands would not be developed if they don’t build that pipeline,’ said Goolsbee, speaking today in Toronto at the Economic Club of Canada. ‘Eventually, it’s going to be built. It may go to the Pacific, it may go through Nebraska, but it’s going to be built somewhere.’” (Sean B. Pasternak, “Goolsbee Says U.S. Opponents Of TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline Are Naïve,” Bloomberg, 11/28/11)

Energy Secretary Chu Supports The Pipeline. “Energy Secretary Steven Chu signaled this week that he supports a controversial proposed oil sands pipeline project being considered by the Obama administration.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Chu Signals Support For Proposed Oil Pipeline,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 8/31/11)

• Chu:  “Canada is a more stable supplier of oil than many other countries.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Chu Signals Support For Proposed Oil Pipeline,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 8/31/11)
• Chu:  “It’s certainly true that having Canada as a supplier of our oil is much more comforting than to have other countries supply our oil.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Chu Signals Support For Proposed Oil Pipeline,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 8/31/11)

• Chu:  “In the end it’s one of those things where it’s not perfect, but it’s a tradeoff.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Chu Signals Support For Proposed Oil Pipeline,” The Hill’s “Health Watch,” 8/31/11)

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) 

According To A State Department Report, Pipeline Is “Needed” To Maintain Supplies As Imports Decline.  “The pipeline is needed to maintain supplies of heavy crude oil to Gulf Coast refineries as imports decline, according to today’s State Department report.” (David Lerman & Jim Efstathiou Jr., “TransCanada Pipeline’s Environment Risk Limited, U.S. Finds,” Bloomberg, 8/26/11)

The State Department Said The Proposed Pipeline “Poses Little Environmental Risk.” “The State Department said Friday that a proposed pipeline slated to carry Canadian oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries poses little environmental risk if managed properly, a decision that moves the controversial project one step closer to final approval.” (Andrew Restuccia & Ben German, “Keystone Oil Sands Pipeline Moves One Step Closer To Approval,” The Hill’s “E2 Wire,” 8/26/11)

• State Department: “No Significant Impacts To Most Resources.” “The study states there would be ‘no significant impacts to most resources’ along the route if the company adheres to conditions and mitigation measures that pipeline regulators and environmental agencies demand.” (Andrew Restuccia & Ben German, “Keystone Oil Sands Pipeline Moves One Step Closer To Approval,” The Hill’s “E2