Never missing an opportunity to prolong our dependence on foreign oil, and high gas prices, President Obama lobbied the Democrat controlled Senate to oppose a bill that would, if passed, be the start of the Keystone Pipeline project with our Canadian neighbors.
The message to the president was clear. There is majority bi-partisan support for the pipeline. The senate voted for it 56-42. But because the Senate rules required 60 votes for passage, it was defeated.
In all, 11 Democrats joined 45 Republicans to support the pipeline. Only the fact that 60 votes were needed for passage saved the White House from an embarrassing defeat.
How does a president justify turning down a project that would build a measure of energy independence and energy infrastructure and lower gas prices?
How does a president justify turning down a project that would create 20,000 jobs now, and over 140,000 jobs once complete? Union jobs in fact. (Big Labor supports the pipeline.)
Today it’s out. President Obama doesn’t want jobs if they have anything to do with the oil industry. He doesn’t want energy infrastructure improvements nor any oil from Canada to come to our refineries and our ports. He made that known today.
President Obama finally gave us his blueprint for the nation’s energy future, beginning today apparently. He told us that oil is the energy of the past.
Oh really? Here’s what the United States Energy Information Administration has to say about it.
EIA projects that most petroleum-based and non-petroleum based liquid fuels — including those derived from fuels such as coal, biomass, and natural gas — will continue to be used for transportation over the next two decades.
Who at the EIA is going to update President Obama on this?