President Barack Obama on Wednesday has rejected a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, the controversial project that would have transported tar sands oil from Canada to Texas.

Continue reading

In a statement released by the White House Press Office, Obama said that he has taken the recommendation of the State Department to deny the proposal, saying the “rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment.”
The 2,000-mile proposed pipeline would stretch from southern Alberta to eastern Texas.

“This announcement is 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,” Obama said. He further urged against Republican Congress members, saying that he is “disappointed” that the lawmakers“forced this decision.”

Despite the rejection of the proposal, Obama assured that administration’s “commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil.”