Putting the National Interest First
WASHINGTON (January 6, 2015) - The White House today announced that President Obama would veto legislation designed to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline before he can make a judgment as to whether it’s in the national interest.
Below is a statement from Danielle Droitsch, director, Canada Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council:
“The president made the right call. What’s needed now is for him to kill the dirty tar sands pipeline outright.
"As promised, the GOP leadership in Congress wants to play pipeline politics with our future. The president is focused on a single question: Is the tar sands pipeline in the national interest?
"It’s not. It would pipe some of the dirtiest oil on the planet through the breadbasket of America so most of it could be shipped overseas. It’s not a plan to help our country. It’s about big profits for big oil - and big pollution for the rest of us.
"On principle, the president is right to put the national interest first. It’s not the role of Congress to short-circuit the legitimate process of presidential review designed to ensure the best outcome for the country.
"All evidence makes it clear: The tar sands pipeline is a bad idea. It needs to be denied.”