My conservative friend called again, this time to rub in how Obama’s going to look so bad when he kills the Keystone pipeline project and its 20,000 jobs.
The fact that the Republicans were pushing the Keystone project so hard made me think, these guys are lying again. And they were. Not even half the 20,000 jobs promised will materialize, and most of those jobs won’t be construction.
In fact, Republicans in the Senate and House should have consulted with the governor and the people of Nebraska first, before they decided to attempt to steam roll them for purely political purposes.
Reuters: Nebraska governor Dave Heineman signed into law on Tuesday bills to reroute the Keystone XL pipeline away from the ecologically sensitive Sandhills region.
One bill puts into law a compromise agreed with Keystone pipeline builder TransCanada to move the route away from the Sandhills and the Ogallala aquifer. The second bill approves state funding for an environmental study for a new pipeline route not to exceed $2 million. By law, the governor now has the final say in state government on the new route. The U.S. Secretary of State has the final say nationally. Earlier this month, the State Department ordered the company to find a new route for the line in a decision that set back the $7 billion, Canada-to-Texas pipeline by more than a year.
More than a year!!! That would put the pipeline project in place in 2013, after plotting a new route, and in line with the Obama administration. Not two ridiculous months given Obama to decide.
AP: The State Department announced that it will delay its decision on the transnational pipeline until at least 2013. TransCanada subsequently agreed to divert its proposed route … so that it wouldn't pass through the Nebraska Sandhills, a region of porous hills that includes a high concentration of wetlands and the Ogallala aquifer that provides water to huge swaths of U.S. cropland. TransCanada officials still believe they could have a new Nebraska route approved in six to nine months. Lawmakers credited outspoken constituents for the two laws that emerged from the session. "Our work is done," Heineman said. "I want to say thank you to our citizens and our lawmakers."
It looks like lawmakers in Nebraska appreciated the outspoken interest of the people, instead of telling them to shut up until the next election.
Obama has had much more than 2 months to decide. I'm sure he's known for awhile now exactly what he will do. And I feel pretty sure about what that is going to be as well.
ReplyDeleteHe will NOT look foolish, your friend is wrong. He will not look foolish because he will not stand int he way, he will approve the project. He just wants to wait until after he is (IF he is) re-elected.
If he is not re-elected he can pretend he was going to stop it. It will be easier to play Liberal Black Hero at speaking engagements then.
He will approve the Keystone XL. There is not reason not to go public w/ a decision now. Hillary wants it, there's no impediment. Except all-out rage from the people who are going to be forced to vote for him.
Swing states, like us, full of people who might decide (like me) to stay home because it's no real choice, he doesn't wanna lose those.
Obama will support Big Oil like he always has. Your friend can rest easy. He's probably not even really worried, you're probably just too easy and too fun to jerk around.
That's my guess.
Tell him I said Hey.
To stay home and not vote is the height of idiocy. Guess this imperfect world will just get more imperfect when defeatists like you decide to open the door for creeping fascism. But you stood your ground...while millions find their lot in life get dramatically worse.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm easy to jerk around. That's more than obvious from my blogs.
You're so wise.