An official with the state’s business association is blasting President Barack Obama for rejecting the Keystone XL oil pipeline project.
In rejecting the plan on Friday, Obama said approving the oil pipeline would undercut America’s global leadership in the fight against climate change. The pipeline would have moved 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to U.S. refineries, but the president expressed skepticism that it would do anything to lower energy prices for Americans or result in a long term boost for the economy. “The pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy,” Obama said. “So if Congress is serious about wanting to create jobs, this was not the way to do it.”
In a statement, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce director of environmental and energy police Lucas Vebber said Obama put “the wishes of the radical environmental lobby ahead of the best interests of the American worker.”
Vebber said the oil pipeline would have created thousands of jobs, “driven the U.S. economy to new heights and fostered energy independence.”