Pres. Obama's veto threat isn't the end of Keystone decision; it's a rejection of Congress deciding

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Today, the Nebraska court cleared an obstacle for the Keystone pipeline:

Rejecting arguments from three anti-Keystone landowners, the Nebraska justices upheld a 2012 state law that allowed Republican Gov. Dave Heineman — rather than an independent commission — to approve Keystone’s route inside the state. Friday’s ruling will let the State Department resume its almost-completed review of the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, which the department halted in April amid uncertainty about the Nebraska case.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in November that the Obama administration was waiting for the Nebraska Supreme Court ruling about the route of the Keystone X-L oil pipeline, before completing an evaluation of the project.

“The State Department is examining the court’s decision as part of its process to evaluate whether the Keystone XL Pipeline project serves the national interest. As we have made clear, we are going to let that process play out,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said today in a written statement.

Mr. Schultz said the president would still veto Keystone legislation pending in Congress if it is sent to him for consideration. “Regardless of the Nebraska ruling today, the House bill still conflicts with long-standing executive branch procedures regarding the authority of the president and prevents the thorough consideration of complex issues that could bear on U.S. national interests.”

In fact, the State Dept. environmental impact report issued last year actually was seen as an open door (under his own criteria) for Pres. Obama to approve the project.

NYT:

The department’s long-awaited environmental impact statement appears to indicate that the project could pass the criteria Mr. Obama set forth in a speech last summer when he said he would approve the 1,700-mile pipeline if it would not “significantly exacerbate” the problem of greenhouse gas emissions. Although the pipeline would carry 830,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada to the Gulf Coast, the report appears to indicate that if it were not built, carbon-heavy oil would still be extracted at the same rate from pristine Alberta forest and transported to refineries by rail instead.

Another key border-crossing pipeline benefiting tar sands producers was approved in November 2013 by the State Dept.

This veto threat is certainly welcome, but there's a question, given the narrow definition of the President's opposition to the pipeline which does not equate with most of environmentalists objections to the destructive practice of tar sand extraction of oil, of whether this veto is about his own preogative in saying yea or nay, or if it represents a definitive opposition to the project in the end. The veto would not end the decision-making process; just prevent Congress from making that decision on its own. The verdict on the pipeline before the end of his term will still loom; not to mention the narrow margin in the Senate which would uphold his veto and the threat of some 'deal' which would move the approval forward.

[Autumn]

1. That has been pointed out, and ignored.

Repeatedly.

[BlueCaliDem]

4. Probably because it comes across as nitpicking for something negative to say about Obama.

At least, by some.

[Autumn]

5. It's not nitpicking. It's explaining what Obamas threat was about.

"Some" seem to think he actually threatened to veto the pipeline, and he didn't threaten to veto the pipeline.

[grahamhgreen]

2. Where will the waste products from the tar sands go?

[BlueCaliDem]

3. Window dressing.

President Obama is NOT going to publicly offer a veto threat against Keystone and have it reported that he's against it if he's not going to see that threat through to the end. It would be political suicide for his Democratic successor, because people will vote for his successor based on his policies.

What we're seeing is sausage-making. He's placating the Canadian govt that's lobbied HARD for Keystone XL. But I have zero doubt that President Obama will ultimately veto further expansion of Keystone XL because I'm certain he's aware that the pipeline already running through all those States is leaking like a sieve, and has already dumped 21,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota - which we, as taxpayers, are obliged to pay to clean up. This pipeline has been an environmental disaster.

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