New Obama adviser will not work on Keystone XL

[unhappycamper]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/texas/article/New-Obama-adviser-will-not-work-on-Keystone-XL-5055248.php

New Obama adviser will not work on Keystone XL
By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press
December 11, 2013 : Updated: December 11, 2013 2:26pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new senior adviser to President Barack Obama will not be involved in deliberations on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the White House said Wednesday.

John Podesta, a former chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, has spoken out against the pipeline, which would carry oil derived from tar sands in western Canada to refineries in Texas. Podesta founded the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank that opposes the pipeline.

Podesta's hiring cheered environmental groups, who say the $7 billion project would be a major contributor to global warming. They also worry about spills of tar sands oil, which is heavier than conventional oil.

Some Keystone supporters, including Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., expressed alarm, calling Podesta's inclusion in Obama's inner circle a possible death-knell for the pipeline. Backers say the project would create thousands of jobs and boost North American energy independence.