Pirate's Cove

Remember when the decision on Keystone XL would be in “months”? That was a few months ago. And the decision is to ….. punt. Here’s our Decider-in-chief

(Politico) The Obama administration says it is indefinitely extending its long-awaited review of the Keystone XL pipeline — providing a Good Friday jolt to one of the president’s most wrenching environmental decisions.

The move could easily push President Barack Obama’s final decision past the November election.

The State Department declined to specify how long the delay will last, saying only that it needs to extend its review because of an ongoing dispute in front of the Nebraska Supreme Court that could affect the project’s route inside the state. “We are moving ahead very diligently with all the other aspects that are necessary for the national interest determination,” a senior State Department official told reporters on a conference call.

I think we can all read between the lines here, this is Obama avoiding Making A Decision ahead of the mid-terms, and Sec State John Kerry, a big user of fossil fuels as he jets all over the world, wanting to kill the pipeline over “climate change”, despite the numerous studies, including by the State Department, that show that Keystone XL will have no effect on “climate change”. Delaying Keystone XL is simply a political decision, as even Climate Progress notes that there are many other pipelines which have been built recently and others which are being built, some which rival Keystone XL, some of which carry the same Canadian tar sands.

Green activists mostly welcomed the news, with climate activist and billionaire Tom Steyer greeting it as “rotten eggs” for pipeline builder TransCanada and “good news on Good Friday for those who oppose Keystone as not being in our nation’s best interest.”

But the delay drew immediate scorn from pipeline supporters on both sides of the aisle in Congress. Republicans derided it as a “shameful” concession to “radical activists,” while Democratic Senate energy Chairwoman Mary Landrieu called it “irresponsible, unnecessary and unacceptable.”

It’s good that Steyer is mentioned, being that he and his rich Big City buds have been instrumental in making sure that Obama makes no decision/cans Keystone. Steyer has no private jet, but does fly, and even paid for a fossil fueled plane to fly around Fenway Park during a game whine about Keystone XL. He owns lots of cows, which are supposedly Bad for “climate change”.

Both of Alaska’s senators condemned the move. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the ranking member on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called the delay “a stunning act of political cowardice,” and Democratic Sen. Mark Begich said he was “frankly appalled at the continued foot-dragging by this administration.” Begich, like Landrieu, faces a tough reelection fight this year.

And if either or both win re-election, they will most likely switch and oppose Keystone XL.

(Fox News) “It’s absolutely ridiculous that this well over five year long process is continuing for an undetermined amount of time,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said in a statement.

Republican Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry called the decision “shameful,” noting that another spring construction season will come and go without the project.

Remember the days when Americans could just do business, could build things without Government control?

Crossed at Right Wing News.