Obama has blocked the construction project of the pipeline "Keystone"

After seven years of discussions, US President Barack Obama on Friday, October 6, rejected the idea of ​​building a Keystone pipeline that would connect oil fields in Canada with the central region of the United States.

According to the president, the 1900-kilometer oil pipeline "does not meet the national interests of the United States." Keystone will not affect job creation or gasoline cost reduction in the long-term, Obama said, adding that he had already called the new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trude, informing him of the decision of the American side.

Environmentalists claimed that the construction of the Keystone gas pipeline would damage the fragile environment in its path. According to Keystone, it was planned to pump about 800 thousands of barrels of crude oil from Canada to the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico daily.

Barack Obama said that the US is seeking to reduce carbon emissions that adversely affect climate change, and the approval of the Keystone project would undermine Washington’s position on the eve of climate talks in Paris this December.

The president condemned what he described as the politicization of the Keystone XL project, stating that he was too often viewed by both sides as a “baton for campaigning,” and not as a serious political issue.

The political struggle, Obama said, "overshadowed by the fact that this pipeline would not be a salutary solution for the economy, as promised by some, nor a speedy strip to a climatic catastrophe, as others had proclaimed."

The President spoke confidently about the correctness of his environmental policy: his administration’s efforts to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and to increase the country's use of clean energy show that the country is the world leader in environmental protection.

“America is leading by example,” he said, “and therefore the approval of the Keystone XL project would undermine our global leadership.”

Reaction

Congressional Republican leaders immediately responded to the announcement of the rejection of the Keystone XL project. House Speaker Paul Ryan called the move "disgusting" and "just wrong." Commenting on Twitter, Ryan expressed the opinion that Obama, in essence, refuses well-paid jobs, denies the largest trading partner of the United States and the energy supplier, and also contradicts the will of the American people and a two-party majority in Congress. “If the president wants to spend the rest of his presidency serving special interests, then this is his choice,” Ryan wrote.

Many Democrats, including candidate for presidential nominee Bernie Sanders, welcomed the decision.

State Department Explained Reasons for Rejection

On Friday, the US State Department published an official statement by Secretary of State John Kerry, which also indicated that an in-depth analysis of the Keystone oil pipeline project conducted by the country's foreign policy department showed that its implementation is not in the national interest of the United States.

In particular, the implementation of construction will have only a marginal impact on strengthening US energy security, will not lead to lower fuel prices for US consumers, and will not have a long-term positive impact on the US economy.

At the same time, the document states that the construction of the Trans-American oil pipeline may lead to environmental pollution and pose a threat to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the local communities through which the pipeline is to be built. In addition, this project may call into question the US global leadership in the fight against climate change, which provides for the development of alternative, clean energy sources.

In his statement, the head of the State Department also expressed his understanding that this project is important for the closest strategic ally and energy partner of the United States - Canada. Kerry noted that he had already discussed this problem with the Foreign Minister of Canada, and expressed confidence that the partnership between Washington and Ottawa will continue to develop successfully.

Canadian oil giant TransCanada, operating in North America, has been trying to get permission to build an oil pipeline for several years. Recently, company representatives asked to postpone a final decision on Keystone, but the White House refused, signaling that it did not intend to delay the disclosure of the refusal.

The US representatives suggested that the TransCanada request was intended to postpone the resolution of the Keystone issue until the next presidential election, hoping that the Republican candidate supporting the Keystone would win them. At a time when the White House announced that it would consider a request to postpone its decision, spokesman Josh Ernest suggested that the TransCanada request "may involve a political game."

The US Constitution prohibits the president from running for a third time. Barack Obama will leave the White House in January of 2017.

The main contender for the presidency of the Democratic Party is Hillary Clinton. Republicans have no clear leader yet. After secondly debates the championship was led by billionaire Donald Trump, however before third TV debates Republican Party in the leadership broke neurosurgeon Ben Carson.