Top aides to President Obama say that his desire to satisfy two key political constituencies — environmental advocates and affluent Democratic donors — played a major role in his decision to reject an application to build a pipeline to carry tar sands oil from Alberta to Texas. The president’s political advisers said that approval of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline would have alienated his political base and would have created nowhere near the 20,000 jobs that oil industry advocates claimed it would. Although the president expected sharp criticism from Republicans, labor unions, and business, one top Obama aide told the Web site, Politico, “There was never the slightest doubt we were going to say, ‘No.’” Environmentalists praised the president’s decision, with Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, adding, “I think it shores up his base — definitely.” Obama denounced a “rushed and arbitrary” deadline of Feb. 21 that congressional Republicans had set for his decision during negotiations over a payroll tax extension.
Keystone Pipeline Decision Aimed at President Obama’s Political Base
More From E360
-
INTERVIEW
Pakistan’s Solar Revolution Is Bringing Power to the People
-
Food & Agriculture
In Uganda, Deadly Landslides Force an Agricultural Reckoning
-
Energy
Why U.S. Geothermal May Advance, Despite Political Headwinds
-
Food & Agriculture
In War Zones, a Race to Save Key Seeds Needed to Feed the World
-
Climate
Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North?
-
RIVERS
A Win for Farmers and Tribes Brings New Hope to the Klamath
-
Solutions
Deconstructing Buildings: The Quest for New Life for Old Wood
-
NATURAL DEFENSES
How Restored Wetlands Can Protect Europe from Russian Invasion
-
Solutions
Birds vs. Wind Turbines: New Research Aims to Prevent Deaths
-
Biodiversity
Cambodian Forest Defenders at Risk for Exposing Illegal Logging
-
OPINION
The ‘Green’ Aviation Fuel That Would Increase Carbon Emissions
-
Solutions
Out of the Wild: How A.I. Is Transforming Conservation Science