Citing Climate Change, Obama Rejects Construction of Keystone XL Oil Pipeline

Before I get into this article I feel it is appropriate for me to share this with you. Below is a video from the great Jon Stewart which sums up the history, controversy and propaganda surrounding the Keystone Pipeline.

If you did not already know, here are some facts about the project. The Keystone XL Pipeline is an estimated 8 billion dollar project which will transport tar sand oil from Alberta, Canada across the United States into Nebraska before ending in Texas. It is estimated by many organizations including the US State Department that the pipeline would generate 42,000 total jobs. The total length of pipeline would cover a total of 1,179 miles and once completed will transfer 800,000 barrels of oil into the United States per day. If you were curious, the United States of America is said to consume 19.11 million barrels of oil each day. Supporters of the pipeline argue that in a struggling economy, 8 billion dollars of business revenue and 42,000 new jobs would provide a nice boost for this country. As it stands today the United States has 2.5 million miles of oil/gas pipeline in place not including the Keystone Pipeline. For this reason the projects environmental impact is argued to be negligible.

All of this is mute because on November 6, 2015 President Obama put the final nail in the coffin for the Keystone pipeline when he declined the most recent bid for construction. Ending a 7 year battle on Capitol Hill. For as much headlines at this project has gotten over the last decade this latest decision is far from surprising. This past February President Obama vetoed the bill passed by Congress to build the pipeline. Throughout the election campaign season of 2014 Obama did not shy away from saying that he would do exactly this. In a statement Friday, Mr. Obama said in part

“America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change….and, frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership.”

This most recent announcement ‘comes on the heels‘ of the United Nations Summit Meeting for Climate Change taking place in Paris, France next month. Last September the United Nations hosted the Sustainable Development Summit. A movement prioritizing the needs to address and implement proactive climate change solutions on a global level in the years to come.

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