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U.S. NEWSSaturday 7 November 2015
Obama Quashes Keystone XL to Boost Climate Leverage
JOSH LEDERMAN President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe based on other factors. He day risks creating a fresh
Associated Press Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, announce he’s reject- didn’t broach that topic in point of tension in his rela-
WASHINGTON (AP) — End- ing the Keystone XL pipeline because he does not believe it his remarks, and State De- tionship with Canada’s new
ing a seven-year political serves the national interest, Friday Nov. 6, 2015, in the Roosevelt partment officials said they government. After speak-
saga, President Barack Room of the White House in Washington. had determined Keystone ing by phone with Obama
Obama killed the pro- wouldn’t significantly af- on Friday, Canadian Prime
posed Keystone XL pipe- (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) fect carbon pollution lev- Minister Justin Trudeau said
line on Friday, declaring it els. he was “disappointed by
would have undercut U.S. with a State Department “This pipeline would neither Instead, the administration the decision” but pledged
efforts to clinch a global conclusion that Keystone be a silver bullet for the cited the “broad percep- to pursue a “fresh start”
climate change deal at wouldn’t advance U.S. economy, as was promised tion” that Keystone would with Obama nevertheless.
the center of his environ- national interests. He la- by some, nor the express carry “dirty” oil, and sug- For TransCanada, the fi-
mental legacy. mented that both political lane to climate disaster gested approval would nancial imperative to build
Obama’s decision marked parties had “overinflated” proclaimed by others,” he raise questions abroad Keystone may have fallen
an unambiguous victory Keystone into a proxy bat- said. Although Obama in about whether the U.S. off recently amid a sharp
for environmental activists tle for climate change but 2013 said his litmus test for was serious about climate drop in oil prices that could
who spent years denounc- glossed over his own role in Keystone would be wheth- change. “Frankly, approv- make extracting and trans-
ing the pipeline, lobbying allowing the controversy to er it increased U.S. green- ing this project would have porting the product much
the administration and drag out over several na- house gas emissions, his undercut that global lead- less lucrative. TransCanada
even chaining themselves tional elections. final decision appeared ership,” the president said. has insisted that wasn’t the
to tractors to make their Obama will travel to Paris case. Though environmen-
point about the threat at the end of the month for tal groups hailed Friday as
posed by dirty fossil fuels. talks on a global climate a “day of celebration,”
It also places the president agreement, which the Obama’s decision was un-
and fellow Democrats in president hopes will be the likely to be the last word for
direct confrontation with crowning jewel for his en- Keystone XL.
Republicans and energy vironmental legacy. Killing TransCanada, the com-
advocates heading into the pipeline allows Obama pany behind the proposal,
the 2016 presidential elec- to claim aggressive action, said it remained “absolute-
tion. strengthening his hand as ly committed” to building
The president, announcing world leaders gather in the project and was con-
his decision at the White France. sidering filing a new appli-
House, said he agreed Obama’s decision on Fri- cation for permits. q
