For all his talk about the future, President Obama’s decision to veto the Keystone pipeline shows a dangerously short-sighted view on energy.
Killing Keystone won’t reduce carbon emissions one bit.
The oil will be used either way. It’ll just get shipped across Canada by train, then shipped to China instead of the United States.
President Obama knows that – it was in the State Department report – but it looks like he’d rather go along with his base than explain to them why they’ve got the wrong idea.
Americans want an energy plan, instead they get politics.
And pandering comes at a price.
Killing Keystone will hurt our economy. It’ll mean fewer construction and refining jobs, and higher energy prices for American families.
It weakens America’s energy security while strengthening China.
And it’s a big setback for our relationship with Canada, and the possibility of a North American Energy Alliance.
Reducing pollution is a big part of securing America’s energy future. To get there, we need to be smart about how we use ALL our resources, and we need more leaders and fewer politicians.