News

Obama Has Rejected Keystone XL

by Jenny Hollander

On Friday, President Obama scheduled a mid-morning press conference alongside John Kerry and Joe Biden to announce once and for all that the Obama administration would be rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline, multiple news outlets reported. The decision had long been anticipated, with the president vetoing the extension of the Keystone XL pipeline, which environmentalists say would have devastating ecological effects, back in February. And on Wednesday, the administration had refused to pause a TransCanada Corp review of the pipeline, signaling to many that this official rejection would be the next step. (Update: On Friday, Obama formally rejected the pipeline, saying, "The Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest of the United States.")

The pipeline is a highly partisan issue, with Obama and Democratic presidential candidates universally opposing the pipeline amid concerns about its impact on the environment. Most of the Republican presidential candidates on the other side of the aisle, however, would affirm the pipeline's construction. The GOP candidates have also seized on Democrats' lukewarm position on the pipeline since it was first proposed seven years ago, criticizing top-level members of the party like Hillary Clinton and Obama for taking their time to come to a conclusion on the pipeline.

Obama's veto of the proposal was more of a delay than a flat-out rejection, giving him time to come to an official consensus on the issue — which, according to myriad reports, will come Friday.

Canada's new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, supports the pipeline's extension.