WASHINGTON, DC - During today’s remarks on climate, President Obama stated that he would support the Keystone XL pipeline only if it will not significantly affect climate change, stating, “Our national interest will be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution."
The good news is the State Department already proved this point. The State Department’s draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement found, “approval or denial of the proposed project is unlikely to have a substantial impact on the rate of development in the oil sands, or on the amount of heavy crude oil refined in the Gulf Coast area." (page ES15)
In other words, with or without the pipeline’s construction, oil sands development will continue. The only question is whether the U.S. will choose to benefit from this secure, abundant resource.
“We already have over 15,500 pages of review from the State Department proving that Keystone XL is safe, in the national interest, and will have little impact on greenhouse gas emissions or climate change. There is no reason to delay these thousands of jobs another day. After nearly five years of review, it’s time to build," said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI).
