The Flip Side Of Obama’s Keystone XL Delay
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/08
While President Obama made a big deal out of delaying the northern half of the Keystone pipelines construction, he compensated by signing an executive order to expedite similar infrastructure projects everywhere else. (Photo/Matt Wansley via Flickr)
Large segments of the environmental movement declared a win on Jan. 18, 2012, the dawn of an election year in which partisan fervor reigned supreme.
On that day President Barack Obama kicked the can down the road for permitting TransCanadas Keystone XL pipelines northern half until after the then-forthcoming November 2012 presidential election.
Northern half is the key caveat: just two months later, on March 22, 2013 even deeper into the weeds of an election year President Obama issued Executive Order 13604. Among other key things, the order has an accompanying memorandum calling for an expedited review of the southern half of Keystone XL stretching from Cushing, Okla. to Port Arthur, Texas.
The day before, March 21, Obama flew on Air Force One to a pipe yard in Cushing the pipeline crossroads of the world for a special stump speech and photo-op announcing the executive order and memorandum.