President Barack Obama, unsurprisingly, rejected the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Here is a round-up of reaction from Republican candidates and elected officials.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa):
It’s completely non-sensical. A lot of jobs in this country are tied to energy and construction. This was a chance to add more of those jobs. It was a chance to help meet the country’s energy needs and reduce dependence on less reliable foreign sources. The government’s own environmental reviews time and again found no significant impact from this project. The State Department, in its final Environmental Impact Statement, indicated that blocking the pipeline was unlikely to significantly impact the production of the Canadian oil, so in effect, blocking the pipeline won’t change the climate impact, because the oil will still be produced and get to market. The rejection of the pipeline is clearly a misguided political decision, rather than one made on the facts and merits.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee:
Why is President Obama so obsessed with worshiping the gods of green energy and rejecting the Keystone pipeline? Why is Obama more interested in satisfying radical liberals than creating tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs? Building the Keystone Pipeline is an absolute no-brainer, too bad Obama has lost his mind. Radical Islamic terrorism is a greater threat than a sunburn.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (from Your World with Neil Cauvuto):
It’s not going to change anything about the environment. I guess the president believes that the Canadians are going to shut down their 50, 60, $70 billion sump costs development in the tar sands of Alberta. They’re not going to export them to Canada. The irony — mean to China or to Europe. The irony is the carbon footprint will be bigger with the alternative than what it would have been to integrate this into the Gulf coast. This will raise prices for America, not lower prices, and it will have a bigger environmental impact, a negative impact, and this is just because this president and many of the people including Hillary Clinton who supported this before or gave a signal that she did, have been co-opted by the radical environmental left, and lost jobs, lost income, disrespecting our largest trading partner, all of this does not do the country good.
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa):
Once again President Obama is illustrating just how out-of-touch he is with workers and families across the country in his rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline. However, this reckless decision comes as no surprise following his veto of the critical legislation that Congress and the American people overwhelmingly support.
“It is unfortunate that the President has once again turned his back on a historically vetted energy project that would have created good jobs for the middle class and moved us one step closer to energy independence.
“I remain committed to advocating for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline despite the President’s eagerness to make it a political symbol.
Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA):
Today’s decision by the Obama Administration is another betrayal of the American worker, American manufacturing, and American security. Workers are struggling and our enemies are on the march. More than 15,000 manufacturers and 2 million manufacturing jobs have been lost, jobs that require cheap, secure energy sources. Yet President Obama has decided to again abandon them and our security to appease the fringe environmental Left.
Under my Administration, we will commit to an all-of-the-above energy policy that will not just bring cheap energy prices to consumers at the pump, but will lower prices upstream for manufacturers and processors that depend on energy to make the products we use every day. And just as important, we will make our nation energy secure so we will not be held hostage by rouge regimes and radical groups with access to energy resources.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL):
President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline is a huge mistake, and is the latest reminder that this administration continues to prioritize the demands of radical environmentalists over America’s energy security. When I’m president, Keystone will be approved, and President Obama’s backward energy policies will come to an end.
Congressman David Young (R-IA)
The President’s failed decision comes at the expense of thousands of good-paying American jobs. Sadly, this was expected, but his decision is certainly disappointing to those who will miss out on a job opportunity. Iowans have shared this frustration with me specifically, because to them, Keystone is a commonsense approach to economic growth and energy independence. We need to rise above politics and get serious about creating jobs and being a source of stability for energy markets in these uncertain times.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal:
Obama’s rejection of #KeystoneXL will flush American jobs down the drain… all to appease the agenda of science denying radicals.
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) November 6, 2015
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
As President I’d authorize #KeystoneXL, and we'd get Americans to work!
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 6, 2015
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY):
Keystone XL pipeline should be approved! @POTUS is once again stopping progress and blocking job creation.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 6, 2015
Former New York Governor George Pataki:
The rejection of #KeystoneXL is yet another blow to our limping economy. It won't stop the oil but it will mean its transport is less secure
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) November 6, 2015
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie:
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI):
This decision isn’t surprising, but it is sickening. By rejecting this pipeline, the president is rejecting tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. He is rejecting our largest trading partner and energy supplier. He is rejecting the will of the American people and a bipartisan majority of the Congress. If the president wants to spend the rest of his time in office catering to special interests, that’s his choice to make. But it’s just wrong. In the House, we are going to pursue a bold agenda of growth and opportunity for all.
