Keystone pipeline permit is denied by Obama administration

[EarlG]

President Barack Obama denied a permit for TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline and will let the company file a revised route that avoids an environmentally sensitive area in Nebraska.

The decision by the State Department today was praised by environmentalists, who said the pipeline would add to U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions, and was decried by the U.S. oil and gas industry and Republican lawmakers, who had pushed President Barack Obama to approve the project as a way create jobs.

Obama acted before a Feb. 21 deadline Congress set after Obama in November postponed a decision while a revised Nebraska route is reviewed. TransCanada said the 1,661-mile (2,673- kilometer) project would carry 700,000 barrels of crude a day from Alberta’s oil to refineries on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast, crossing six U.S. states and create 20,000 jobs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/obama-denies-keystone-xl-permit-will-let-transcanada-refile/2012/01/18/gIQA5Dwx8P_story.html

[tabatha]

1. Good for Obama.

[Liberalynn]

2. Nice Job Mr. President!

[Scurrilous]

3. Good news.

[Starboard Tack]

4. Excellent!

[polmaven]

5. Thank you, Mr. President!

Last edited Fri Jan 20, 2012, 11:22 PM - Edit history (1)

I thought Speaker Boehner was going to fall down on the floor and kick his feet and bawl!!

[tawadi]

6. Thank you for doing the right thing, Mr. President

[TwilightGardener]

7. Great news.

[mike_c]

8. props to Obama for this decision....

It's the right thing to do. Good job.

[rsmith6621]

9. So What About The Tax Holiday and Unemployment Extension

..Since we are currently on the 2 month extension.

..... Did Obama just say bye bye to the $1000 per person in the paycheck and what about the unemployed? are they shit out of luck?

... Or is Obama going grow a set of Elephant Balls and BULLY the hell out of the REPUBS.

Help me out...didnt the REPUBS say they would vote against a 1 year UE and tax holidays if Keystone wasn't passed and signed by Obama.

Set me straight please...

[joshcryer]

17. Yes, they said that, but they got their bluff called. Realistically they won't let that happen.

This is election season, they're not that stupid. If they do that then they'll lose in landslides across the entire country.

The tax extension will be used to entice the unemployment benefits, as it has been used for pretty consistently.

[Gman]

28. Like the GOP powers that be want to run as the party that raises taxes

They're over a barrel. There's nothing the GOP can do but extend it all till at least the end of the year.

[Robb]

10. DU hates an I-told-you-so, BUT

... this is precisely what I and many others said would happen. To the letter.

Let the calamity brigade go forth and move the goalposts to the horizon, I'm quite satisfied with this move today. And not just because we were right.

[joshcryer]

12. I still think it'll be built though.

And yes I was on ya'lls side with this (and debated the whole whether it would "go on the markets" thing). I didn't see Obama signing off on it. But he really had no choice to deny it since the State Dept. had to do its business. And that will be the goal post mover you should expect on this issue.

[MinervaX]

65. Yeah we'll see.

If the goal posts are moved they will be moved by the Obama administration. Big Oil expected this too. It's all political posturing for an election year, this way Obama can have his cake and eat it too. Come on, even you can see that, can't you?

[Robb]

67. Mmm.

"...The important thing to remember is that if it's a good bill, the President will capitulate -- unless he doesn't, at which point apparently it's either actually a bad bill, or something he's only pretending to be against. Or something.

The take home is simply however plentiful the Democrats' successes might seem, they are somehow losses. And we're going to lose all kinds of elections because of it, and that's a *good* thing."

[MinervaX]

68. prediction

Obama allows the revised permit to go through. He's allowed environmentalists to claim a small victory. People not paying attention will remember something about Obama doing something for the environment and some will actually see this as standing up to Republicans. My bet is that he will allow the revised permit to go through and he'll do it in a very sneaky manner just like NDAA.

[BumRushDaShow]

71. +infinity

Goal posts are already being moved in this thread.

[SaintPete]

78. That's the biggest "BUT" of all time

the BUT that separates "I hate to be an I told you so" from "I told you so"

We're talking Sir Mix-A-Lot sized BUT(t)

[Robb]

80. You should've seen me after the Times Square bomber

...turned out to be Tehrik-e-Taliban instead of Tea Party.

"I'm often asked if being right becomes boring; to the contrary, I find the repeated experience exhilarating."

[cheapdate]

83. Let the goal post be moved! Moving forward!

[ihavenobias]

87. Big K & R

I love having the opportunity to praise President Obama for fighting hard - in this case he fought hard AND won which is even better.

Here's to hoping I have many more of these opportunities in the coming years.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. I support Keystone XL, but this outcome was inevitable when morons meddle

More brilliance from the legislative body with a 13% approval rating. The pipeline proponents have been expecting this.

[Dr_Scholl]

13. I don't know why people are so happy about this.

For starters we've alienated our closest ally. And we're still going to need the oil, only now it's going to come from people who don't like us very much.

[joshcryer]

15. Electrics are on the rise, actually, this is a good thing in the long run.

[hedgehog]

16. Correction - we've pissed off a big Canadian oil company

of some sort. That oil was supposed to be just passing through on its way overseas, anyway.

[joshcryer]

19. Yep, for fun here's Rep Markey on this issue:

Total ownage.

(Responding to you just because it seemed appropriate, it appears you know the deal!)

[Mojorabbit]

43. great piece nt

[OmahaBlueDog]

27. The Nebraska Unicameral has already approved an alternate route for the pipeline

The route takes the pipeline further from the Ogallala aquifer and the Sandhills.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/16/us-oil-pipeline-nebraska-idUSTRE7AF1QK20111116

So I'm uncertain what the denial was about. Why couldn't the Feds have given approval that was contingent on rerouting in accordance with Nebraska's wishes.

I'm all for wind farms, hybrids, vehicles powered by CNG, and electric cars. I'm also a realist. We still need to purchase oil. Maybe it's just me. I'd rather purchase oil from Canada than from Venezuela, Nigeria, or any nation in the Middle East.

[Dr_Scholl]

30. Exactly.

I know a lot of people on DU hate oil, but the fact remains we're going to be very dependent on it for at least the next several decades.

Keystone XL will probably still be built eventually.

[CreekDog]

60. You can't read a map huh --if you could you wouldn't think that oil is for us

look where the pipeline goes.

[Jazzgirl]

70. Thank you CreekDog.

We won't see one drop of that oil. It is all coming here to Texas to be refined and exported. Not for sale in the US of A.

[BadtotheboneBob]

74. Please reference that claim...

Phase one, already complete, runs to two refineries in Illinois...

[Viking12]

56. Until NE issues actual permits, the State Dept cannot approve anything.

It would be like issuing a building permit for a structure designed on a napkin.

[OmahaBlueDog]

97. Heinnemann (seeking political cover) is crying that they can start work in the states to our North

The problem being that if the Nebraska plan changes the entry point into the state, then Keystone will have to rethink their South Dakota plan as well.

[eridani]

58. That does not make sandblasting the interior of a metal pipe a good idea

This stuff AIN'T regular oil!

[BadtotheboneBob]

73. I'm with you on this...

... petroleum is needed for a great many things other gasoline. Not all of the oil refined would be for export. California oil is more GHG-intensive than the Alberta oil sands. If we don't utilize this resource, the Canadians will gladly sell it to Asian nations. Why can't we figure out how to do this right instead of discounting it, or blocking it, out of hand. Sometimes I can't help but think that some people protest merely for the sake of protest without bothering to look at how to make it work. I also am all for alternative energy research and utilization, but in the mean time, we need oil... and I, too, would rather buy it from Canada than the Middle East.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

31. We will never see a drop of this oil.

Even if we did refine it, it would immediately go onto the world market.

It will never benefit us at all. And the pipeline is fraught with potential environmental problems.

Obama did a very intelligent thing today.

[JEB]

34. Excellent points

Well stated.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. Thank you! I appreciate your good thoughts...n/t

[BeHereNow]

42. Now, if only he would shut down the Fracking thugs...

He can't though, because too many Congress members are hugely
$$$invested$$$ in the fracking thugs, like Halliburton and Enron, and all their
impossible to identify subsidiary shell companies.
BHN

[CaliforniaPeggy]

44. Oh, I wish he would too!

That would be the icing on the cake!

[BeHereNow]

45. Being that those insider Congress piggy trades were set up under Bush...

I really doubt there is much Obama can do about fracking.
There are too many Washington insiders getting filthy rich from
the fracking destruction.

This is the most corrupt Congress and Senate this country
has EVER known.

BHN

[ronnie624]

75. All petroleum products go onto the global market.

They are distributed and redistributed according to surpluses and deficits in various locations all over the world. As a result, there is no permanently established pattern for the distribution of gasoline. It can come from anywhere as long as the end consumer's required specifications are met. So technically, everyone "benefits" by increasing the overall supply -- if by "benefit", we mean keeping the needle stuck in our collective arm a little bit longer.

[Rhiannon12866]

38. Though I was opposed to it, you make a very good point.

Here's the follow up.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101428662

[BeHereNow]

41. WAKE UP Dr_Scholl!

NOT one drop of that oil is intended for the US.
WE can't afford it on the global market.

That oil will be refined and shipped to the highest bidder, most
likely China who has been visiting the Tars Sands for a LONG time.

TPTB have once again succeeded in hoodwinking the American people into
believing that all that oil, and natural gas from fracking, is intended for
US use. And I have a bridge to sell you, if you buy that crap.

The companies behind all this are not US companies- they are
MULTI NATIONAL mega energy corporations who have NO
allegiance to ANY country, other than the country of MONEY.
They will sell to the highest bidder ( which is not the US)
and have no qualms about destroying the US environment as
they pillage for profit.

That is the reality.
Get used to it.

BHN

[disndat]

64. True.

Why would the pipeline be built from Canada to the Gulf coast if the oil is intended for the U.S. They had to build the long pipeline because the environmentalists in the Northwest coast states wouldn't allow the easier route.

[MinervaX]

66. There is a reason why the pipeline goes all the way to the Gulf of Mexico,

The oil is going to be shipped to China.

[cheapdate]

84. Actually, I think it may be bacause that's where the refineries are.

[MinervaX]

94. That is an often cited fallacy

There are oil refineries all over the United States. And there are quite many in Alberta.

[cheapdate]

96. There are refineries all over the United States...

that's true. But almost half of all US refining capacity is in just two states, Louisiana and Texas. Sixty-percent of the US total gasoline refining capacity is in these two states, as well as the majority of US capacity for diesel fuel, jet fuel, and kerosene. (all of these figures are from the US Energy Information Administration's Petroleum Refineries Capacity Report for 2011.)

I lived and worked along the Gulf Coast for a lot of my life, including at the large Chevron Pascagoula, MS refinery. You may call it a "fallacy" if you wish, but the fact is that the size, and concentration of refineries along the US Gulf Coast is unmatched anywhere else in the world, with the possible exception of Saudi Arabia.

I'm thrilled the Obama administration cancelled the pipeline. The jobs and economic impact figures reported by the project's backers were wildly inflated, as were many other of their claims.

Boehner and the Republicans overplayed their hand and I'm happy the president and his administration called them on it. The 2-month deadline was a ridiculously short time to fully evaluate a thousand-mile pipeline crossing an international border and seven states as well.

[bigwillq]

14. Cool.

K and R

Good decision, imo.

[coffeenap]

18. Great news! nt

[liberal N proud]

20. Now my brother can really claim Obama took his job

For 3 years he has claimed that Obama was the reason he didn't get the same job as a civilian that he had in the air force. He had a job all lined up to work on the pipeline.

Little pricks propaganda finally has some truth.




Thank you Mr. President.

[Deep13]

21. Yes! yes! yes! oh my god, yes!

[JackRiddler]

22. Good for Obama & THANKS to the thousands of protesters...

without whom this travesty would have gone through routinely.

[hue]

23. PERFECT!!! Thanks President Obama!! n/t

[alp227]

24. be aware though that the oil company may re-apply

and Obama hasn't said that he will never approve KXL as long as he's president. In the meantime, I commend the president's decision. Beware that President Romney would approach KXL differently, and that's why it's important to vote this November!

For a Canadian perspective here's a story from the CBC.

[Blacksheep214]

25. Poor Boner!

According to Olbermann, Boehner is invested in about 8 companies which stood to profit from this disaster.

Oh wait. Disaster cleanup is another company he hadn't thought of yet. Cleanup?

[abelenkpe]

26. OMG

The administration decided to preserve the environment over energy?

[amyrose2712]

29. YAY! I hope it sticks. nt

[madrchsod]

32. bad pipe.....no one wants to talk about this.

the us pipe manufacturers are not getting the pipe contract. india and south korea are the pipe builders

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globallaborinstitute/research/upload/GLI_KeystoneXL_Reportpdf.pdf

[Blacksheep214]

33. More job creators? nm

[DonCoquixote]

36. Huzzah

OK, to all the people who said he would cave:

You know what to say, you know why you need to say it.

If you need a reminder, if we do not give him credit when he does act like a liberal, he will be told to stop acting like one:

So, to the Obamabasher-bots, go ahead and say it

"YOU.....WERE....WRONG....."

[DonCoquixote]

37. Last time I felt like this

was when DADT bit the dust. I suspect that those who were silent after that will remain silent after this, hoping for years of Romney will soften people up for president Dennis Kucinich.

[dballance]

39. Oh, the fecal matter will be hitting the rotary oscelator on this one

The oil companies won't take this lying down. Just wait for the lawsuits.

[minavasht]

40. How is this a good news?

As far as I understand this, there is a bunch of oil in Canada and a bunch of refineries in USA. The refineries will get their oil, pipe or no pipe.
It will just have to take a little longer route, shipped in tankers.
Now, call me stupid, but a leaking pipe can be shut down.
A leaking supertanker can and will destroy a lot of environment.

[Blacksheep214]

47. Sorry but that's stupid

Look up oil sands and what they really are.

Why are we paying money and with our enviroment so they can pump it to the Texas ports to sell.

We take the damage and they get the profits. Job creation my ass! Remember the gulf? Who is paying for that?

BP?

It's time to evolve or we kill ourselves by fouling our world.

[minavasht]

88. What damage?

The stuff comes here cheap, gets refined and gets sold at a higher price. Call me stupid, but I'd rather have a US company to profit from it than a chinese one.

When you start making alternative energy production cheap, call me.

[Blacksheep214]

91. Let's try this again

We spend BILLIONS protecting the oil companies product transiting the gulf out of the Middle East.

Now we are supposed to spend our enviromental future along with any future costs for cleanup and protection as they pump oil sludge across America to ensure their profits.

This is a no win for the taxpayer and our future.

We pay and they profit?

Why do you support corporate welfare?

[DonCoquixote]

49. because then it will be Canada'sjob

to make sure they do not spill into our waters, rather than us saying "lay your pipe right through us!"

[minavasht]

89. Have you seen an oil pipe?

Do you imagine it is 5 miles wide and 15 stories high?
It's 36 inch in diameter.

[CreekDog]

59. you don't seem to understand that pipelines leak, take time to shut down

and in Alaska in the past few years have leaked and caused big spills in many places.

since you don't know these well known and well reported facts, not sure anybody should take your argument seriously.

[Blacksheep214]

69. Is it leaking

if nobody can see it?

The area seems to be in an earthquake zone also and its getting more active.

Anyone care to tell me that this line would be built to California seismic standards?

Boehner? Cantor? Bueller?

Fukashima happens in every industry! So do anarchists, terrorists and vandals.

How much tax money will need to be spent to ensure the security of this line.

They get blown up in the Middle East regularly.

Our taxes paying for their profits?

Go screw yourselves! Thanks Mr. President! Now blast them in the SOTU next week!

[minavasht]

90. As opposed to

a leaking supertanker?

According to the Wiki, the total spills from the Trans-Alaska pipe were about 30-40 000 barrels. 20 000 of them were caused by humans by blowing or shooting holes in it (one of them is in prison).
That's since 1977.
Exxon Valdez spilled 10 times more.
You can take my argument any way you want, facts will be the same.

[CreekDog]

95. Is your argument that the pipeline will make the tankers go away?

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

And the reason you should know better is because you brought up THE ALASKA PIPELINE!

The oil in Valdez was from the pipeline and put ON A SUPER TANKER!

The oil from this pipeline WILL BE PUT ON SUPER TANKERS!

Yikes. Your argument is just stunningly bad and contradicting of itself.

[patrice]

46. Right on, Mr. President!

[Tripod]

48. America needs jobs.

But not at the expense of our beautiful enviroment, or at the expense of our health.

[ellisonz]

50. woot

[lunatica]

51. I'm so glad to hear this

Not for wanting to 'win' the game, but because it's actually something that's the right thing to do for all living things and this planet.

[dreamnightwind]

52. Good news, K & R

and crossing my fingers that it doesn't get approved after the election.

[SemperEadem]

53. and what is the reason Canada can't build this pipeline

across its country to the ocean so it can be loaded onto vessels to be shipped to the Gulf Coast refineries?

[CreekDog]

62. the Rocky Mountains

Vancouver probably doesn't want a giant pipeline running through their environment.

How many barrels of oil per barrel of oil will it take to get the oil out of the sands, through the pipeline, over Alberta and BC's Rocky Mountains and on a boat all the way around the world, or through the Panama canal (which isn't big enough for the truly big ships) to the Gulf?

[pampango]

54. MMA: The Right-Wing Media's Flawed Keystone XL Rejection Attacks

Obama Admin Had Warned That GOP Deadline Could Make It Unable To Complete Review Required To Ensure Pipeline Meets Environmental Standards

{snip}

Obama, State Department Reiterated That The "Rushed And Arbitrary Deadline Insisted On By" GOP Forced Rejection Of Pipeline

{snip}

Permit Review Process Was Established By Executive Order Signed By Bush

{snip}

But Conservatives Nonetheless Attacked Obama For "Reject[ing]" Keystone XL Pipeline And "Killing Jobs"

{snip}

http://mediamatters.org/research/201201190001

[Maeve]

57. There's a line most parents use sometime--If it has to be now, it has to be 'no'

The Republicans pushed like teenagers wanting to go to a party without making sure the other parents would be home...GObama!

[varelse]

55. good for him!

[madokie]

61. This is great news

I hope he doesn't change his mind later.
For the record I love my President O

[AngryAmish]

63. .

[GeorgeGist]

72. What's good for the country ...

is bad for those who boo the golden rule.

[rocktivity]

76. This is day late due to the SOPA blackout, but

CUE THE VONAGE THEME!


rocktivity

[bvar22]

77. One Small Victory for the 99%,

and I applaud it.
Thank You, Mr President, for STANDING UP on this one.

[L. Coyote]

79. Step II, job-creating green energy development

lots of wind along that same route

[texshelters]

81. Kudos to the President

and watch out for the next efforts of Trans-Canada to get a permit.

We must remain vigilant.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[opihimoimoi]

82. Yup, please insist on stringent safety measures....large pits for overflow during shutdowns to save

environs from being tainted...

Even the burning of fuel should be filtered into a green state....positive fingerprints instead of

negative footprints....

The few months it will take to design this will be worth it

[Capn Sunshine]

85. Great news, Obama never intended to OK this

You better believe it.

[DCBob]

86. Republicans are going to use this against him in the campaign.

Although I agree with him to deny the permit its going to be tough argument for the President. Most voters wont get the reasoning... too many words.

[slackmaster]

93. bloomberg.com - Canada Pledges to Sell Oil to Asia After Obama Rejects Keystone Pipeline

President Barack Obama’s decision yesterday to reject a permit for TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL oil pipeline may prompt Canada to turn to China for oil exports.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in a telephone call yesterday, told Obama “Canada will continue to work to diversify its energy exports,” according to details provided by Harper’s office. Canadian Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver said relying less on the U.S. would help strengthen the country’s “financial security.”

So much for reducing GLOBAL greenhouse-gas emissions.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-19/canada-pledges-to-sell-oil-to-asia-after-obama-rejects-keystone-pipeline.html

[CreekDog]

98. Slackmaster thinks building an oil pipeline reduces greenhouse gas emissions

what a genius.

and as a bonus, he gets to join in on bashing Obama from the right.

[slackmaster]

99. That is a COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS conclusion. I said no such thing, CreekDog.

The point is that building or NOT building the pipeline has NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER on greenhouse gas emissions. GLOBAL consumption of fossil fuel will not be affected either way, and neither will U.S. consumption.

The claim BY THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT that not building the pipeline would reduce greenhouse gas emissions is absurd.