Whether its political expediency or sincere environmental concern, or a little bit of both, the Obama administration has delayed any final decision on the Keystone XL extension past the election. You can score this as a win for environmental groups. The Republicans will howl and complain but it was the Republicans of Nebraska who raised the loudest opposition to the plan. And the industry knows it.
Stephen Brown, vice president of government affairs for the oil refinery Tesoro Companies, said President Obama was lucky [Nebraska Governor Dave] Heineman had come out against the pipeline.
“Terrible decision for the energy future of the country; brilliant decision for the President’s re-election campaign,” Brown wrote in an e-mail. “And the administration owes a debt of thanks to the Republican leaders of Nebraska for providing an escape hatch on this.”
Escape hatch or not, the pipeline isn’t getting built anytime soon.
