In the pipeline? Obama has it both ways on a controversial plan
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President Barack Obama rejected the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Port Arthur, Texas, without quite rejecting it outright. Although it smacked of a political calculation, there's something here for everyone to dislike.
Mr. Obama made clear that his announcement was not "a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people."
That Feb. 21 deadline is the price of Republican approval for the two-month payroll tax cut extension. Mr. Obama is right to complain that two months is far too little time to make this difficult decision. Other than for political reasons, it never made sense to link the pipeline and the tax cut. They are two separate issues.
The construction of the pipeline would certainly create jobs at a time when the economy needs them, although most of the jobs will last only two years and may not reach the 20,000 touted by backers.
Against this, the environmental dangers must be weighed carefully. After being extracted from Canadian tar sands, itself a controversial process because it is so energy intensive, the crude oil would be pumped by way of Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
If routine leaks or spills caused by accident or sabotage were to occur, they could impact the Ogallala aquifer that much of the Great Plains depends on for drinking water and irrigation.
Another consideration is that the United States is trying to wean itself gradually off fossil fuels in the interest of reducing the gases that contribute to climate change. How does this project serve that end?
As it happens, the United States is not in urgent straits for energy at the moment. As Mr. Obama noted, domestic oil and natural gas production is up and imports of foreign oil are down. While this situation may not last, it argues against a rush to judgment on the Keystone XL pipeline.
So Mr. Obama has it both ways with this decision -- he receives the plaudits of environmentalists in the short-term while leaving open the possibility that the plan's promoters, TransCanada Corp., may get a revised permit approved in the future for a more environmentally benign route.
Mr. Obama should not be faulted for seeking more time, but the added deliberation shouldn't turn into political stalling. If the administration is really interested in a better business climate, it should make a decision soon, one way or another, and not jerk the developers around. For that matter, the American people, too, are owed a decision, preferably before the November election.
First Published January 21, 2012 12:00 am
