Not all Democrats are thrilled with President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a supporter, said Obama’s decision “was based purely on political desires and not policy facts.”
In a statement, Manchin said the project would have created 20,000 new jobs.
“The president and this administration continue to block America’s path to energy independence,” Manchin said. “It’s a shame the president refuses to see the economic possibilities this project offers.”
Manchin is among a small group of Democrats in favor of the pipeline, which would transport oil from the tar sands of Canada to oil refineries in the Gulf Coast.
Most Democrats praised Obama, including Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
“By stopping this harmful project, President Obama and Secretary Kerry are further cementing their environmental legacy,” Reid said. “As I’ve long said, the Keystone pipeline is nothing but a favor to special interests who seek to let a Canadian company ship foreign oil to China. It would harm our environment while doing nothing to promote energy independence.”
Reid said the country should instead focus on “clean, renewable energy projects.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., didn’t praise the move but said it reflected a decision “that the pipeline would have offered too little benefit and caused far too much damage to our climate and our country.”
