Can you believe it, approved by the EPA and the State Department has the gumption to say, it does not have the time to study the issue? This is politics, pure and simple!
The following report is a summary of the hearings on the Keystone issue. It will amaze you
to see the approvals. We keep asking, why? Hopefully we can find out.
Conservative Tom
Rep. Barton: U.S. ‘Fought and Won WW II in Less Time’ than Obama Had to Evaluate Keystone Pipeline
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas.(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) took aim Wednesday at the State Department official dispatched to Congress to explain why President Obama shelved the Keystone XL pipeline – telling her that the U.S. had “fought and won World War II” in less time than the administration had spent weighing the Canada-U.S. pipeline deal.
Assistant Secretary of State Kerri-Ann Jones told the Energy and Power subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the State Department had rejected the deal because it did not have enough time to assess the pipeline.
Barton, a Texas Republican, tried to zero-in on which part of the project the State Department was most concerned about – asking Jones if it was building the pipeline, its operation or an anticipated catastrophe.
“Our concern at this point, sir, is that we did not have time to do the analysis,” said Jones, who heads the Bureau of Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs.
“All of the dimensions of the analysis that you have been talking about we have been studying,” she said. “Certainly the spills certainly the issues around construction and operation. But the reason the decision was taken was because we did not have--”
But Barton, who had already pointed out that the administration had 40 months to examine every aspect of the project, rejected the answer, interrupting Jones.
“Well, we fought and won World War II in less time than it’s taken so far to evaluate this project,” Barton said. “I mean, with all due respect, it is an insult to the American people to say that you need more time.
“There are 10 other agencies that have reviewed this project and – correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that the Corps of Engineers approved it, the Department of Agriculture approved it, the Department of Interior approved it, the Department of Transportation approved it, the Environmental Protection Agency – believe it or not – approved it, the Defense Department approved it; the Justice Department approved it, the Homeland Security Department approved it and the Department of Commerce approved it. Only the State Department, which I believe, by law is required to look at the International implications since its trans-Canada -- only the State Department did not approve it.”
House Republicans, meanwhile, have introduced a bill designed to circumvent the president's denial of the mammoth pipeline, designed to bring oil extracted from shale in Canada to the U.S. Keystone XL pipeline, by putting the decision in the hands of Congress.
From the State Dept. press release...
ReplyDelete"Since 2008, the Department has been conducting a transparent, thorough, and rigorous review of TransCanada’s permit application for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project. As a result of this process, particularly given the concentration of concerns regarding the proposed route through the Sand Hills area of Nebraska, on November 10, 2011, the Department announced that it could not make a national interest determination regarding the permit application without additional information. Specifically, the Department called for an assessment of alternative pipeline routes that avoided the uniquely sensitive terrain of the Sand Hills in Nebraska. The Department estimated, based on prior projects of similar length and scope, that it could complete the necessary review to make a decision by the first quarter of 2013. In consultations with the State of Nebraska and TransCanada, they agreed with the estimated timeline."
When this guy says the other agencies approved the plan, my understanding is that this refers to the plan to route the pipeline through the Sands Hill area of Nebraska. The people and legislature of Nebraska objected to this plan for environmental reasons. The state of Nebraska, TransCanada, and the State Dept. have all now agreed to change the route, and the State Dept. estimates that this can be done by first quarter, 2013. None of the other 10 agencies could have possibly signed off on the alternative route, because it has not yet been proposed. This guy is trying to make it appear that the State Dept. is alone holding up the project.
I haven't studied it enough to have an opinion, but here are some possible reasons why it might not be in the interests of the U.S. -- either environmentally or economically for our farmers -- to run this pipeline through our country...
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/spread-the-word/key-facts-keystone-xl/
In any event, for our country's welfare, it is far more important to get the pay-roll tax extension done for 160 million Americans this year, instead of holding it hostage on the pretext that this pipeline must be approved in 60 days. Yes, it is politics.
--David