Portman critical of Obama administration's decision to reject Keystone XL Pipeline
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U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline:
“I’m amazed that despite the 6 million jobs lost since the beginning of the recession, President Obama has decided to pull the plug on one of the largest private sector infrastructure projects in the nation, a project shown to create tens of thousands of jobs, and that would likely have benefited Ohio’s struggling manufacturing sector.
"With the current strife in the Middle East and growing concern over a summer spike in gas prices here at home, we should fully support efforts to increase access to oil from dependable sources, like our largest trading partner, Canada.
“This project has been under review for over three-and-a-half years, and I find it inconceivable that this administration seems willing to walk away from this important energy security project.
"No wonder so many Americans consider Washington to be broken. At a time when millions of Americans are out of a job and struggling to find work, Washington should be doing everything it can to spur job creation, lower energy prices, and create a climate for growth.”
Kerri-Ann Jones, an assistant secretary, with the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, had the following statement on the administration's decision.
"The Department of State recommended to President Obama that the presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline be denied and that at this time the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline be determined to not serve the national interest. The president agreed with the Department’s recommendation.
"This recommendation was predicated on the fact that the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act that was passed in December does not provide sufficient time to obtain the information that we think is necessary to assess whether the project, in its current state, is in the national interest. As you – many of you know, we made a decision on November 10th that we needed additional information regarding this project, specifically about alternative routes through Nebraska. And we base this decision now on the fact that we don’t have time to get that information, information we think is essential for making a well-informed decision."[[In-content Ad]]
“I’m amazed that despite the 6 million jobs lost since the beginning of the recession, President Obama has decided to pull the plug on one of the largest private sector infrastructure projects in the nation, a project shown to create tens of thousands of jobs, and that would likely have benefited Ohio’s struggling manufacturing sector.
"With the current strife in the Middle East and growing concern over a summer spike in gas prices here at home, we should fully support efforts to increase access to oil from dependable sources, like our largest trading partner, Canada.
“This project has been under review for over three-and-a-half years, and I find it inconceivable that this administration seems willing to walk away from this important energy security project.
"No wonder so many Americans consider Washington to be broken. At a time when millions of Americans are out of a job and struggling to find work, Washington should be doing everything it can to spur job creation, lower energy prices, and create a climate for growth.”
Kerri-Ann Jones, an assistant secretary, with the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, had the following statement on the administration's decision.
"The Department of State recommended to President Obama that the presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline be denied and that at this time the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline be determined to not serve the national interest. The president agreed with the Department’s recommendation.
"This recommendation was predicated on the fact that the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act that was passed in December does not provide sufficient time to obtain the information that we think is necessary to assess whether the project, in its current state, is in the national interest. As you – many of you know, we made a decision on November 10th that we needed additional information regarding this project, specifically about alternative routes through Nebraska. And we base this decision now on the fact that we don’t have time to get that information, information we think is essential for making a well-informed decision."[[In-content Ad]]