President Barack Obama is expected to ask the State Department in his climate change speech Tuesday to not approve the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline unless it is can be proven that it will not lead to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Huffington Post.
The president has refrained from asserting a strong position on the construction of the controversial pipeline, only saying that he would ensure it meets a basic environmental threshold. The left has called on him to completely kill the project because they say it would contribute to global warming and, if it leaks, will contaminate drinking water. The right argued that approving the pipeline would be a boon for the nation’s job seekers.
“As the executive order on Keystone contemplates, the environmental impacts will be important criteria used in the determination of whether the Keystone pipeline application will ultimately be approved at the completion of the State Department decision process,” a senior administration official told the Huffington Post. “In today’s speech, the president will make clear that the State Department should approve the pipeline only if it will not lead to a net increase in overall greenhouse gas emissions.”
