Obama formally rejects Keystone XL pipeline

You know he would, of course. It was always obvious from Obama's rhetoric on the question that he was going to go in this direction once he decided it was more in his political interest to make a decision than to keep dragging his feet. Why now, I'm not sure, but screw you, America:

"The pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy," Obama told a press conference. He said the pipeline would not reduce gasoline prices for drivers, and shipping "dirtier" crude from Canada would not increase U.S. energy security. The denial of TransCanada Corp's more than 800,000 barrels per day project will make it more difficult for producers to develop the province of Alberta's oil sands. It could also put the United States in a stronger position for global climate talks in Paris that start late this month in which countries will aim to reach a deal to slow global warming. Keystone XL would have linked existing pipeline networks in Canada and the United States to bring crude from Alberta and also some from North Dakota to refineries in Illinois and, eventually, the Gulf of Mexico coast. TransCanada first sought the required presidential permit for the cross-border section in 2008 but the proposal inspired a wave of environmental activism that turned Keystone XL into a rallying cry to fight climate change. Blocking Keystone became a litmus test of the green movement's ability to hinder fossil fuel extraction in Canada's oil sands.

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This is such a load of crap. The infrastructure to move Canadian oil to the international market has huge economic potential for the U.S., and it absolutely has the potential to put gasoline consumers in a stronger position long-term with respect to supply and demand. But then you know the guy is not serious when he says things like this: ”If we want to keep this planet from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable, we need to keep some fossil fuel in the ground.” The move also comes just days after a new Liberal government took power in Canada under new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was at least nominally in favor of the pipeline. It would have been insane for him not to be considering its potential economic benefits to Canada. This gets me wondering: Did Trudeau privately signal to Obama that he wouldn't mind the issue going away? Maybe Trudeau had to feign support of it to get elected but is privately as big a green wacko as Obama, or fears his green wacko base the same as Obama does. Or is Trudeau really for the pipeline, in which case he just found out what kind of friend Canada has in Barack Obama, which is no friend at all. I hope Keystone is prepared to reapply in January 2017. I'm sure President Trump's approval will be quick, yuge and first-class all the way.