Canada PoliticsObama urged to nix Keystone XL, Thomas Mulcair stays mum
One of the most influential newspapers in the United States is urging President Barack Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline project.
[ Related: U.S. State Department releases its environmental assessment of Keystone XL ]
Referencing the favourable Keystone XL environmental impact report released by the State Department last month, the New York Times editorial board suggests that Obama should focus on the "long-term consequences" of the proposed pipeline that could transport up 830,000 barrels of oil per day from northern Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico.
[President Obama] should say no, and for one overriding reason: A president who has repeatedly identified climate change as one of humanity’s most pressing dangers cannot in good conscience approve a project that — even by the State Department’s most cautious calculations — can only add to the problem.
To its credit, the State Department acknowledges that extracting, refining and burning the oil from the tar-laden sands is a dirtier process than it had previously stated, yielding annual greenhouse gas emissions roughly 17 percent higher than the average crude oil used in the United States. But its dry language understates the environmental damage involved: the destruction of the forests that lie atop the sands and are themselves an important storehouse for carbon, and the streams that flow through them.
In itself, the Keystone pipeline will not push the world into a climate apocalypse. But it will continue to fuel our appetite for oil and add to the carbon load in the atmosphere.
Obama still has the final say on whether the pipeline is a go; he is expected to make that decision later this year. The full NY Times editorial can be viewed here.
[ Related: What will happen to Canada-US relations if Obama rejects the Keystone XL pipeline? ]
Meanwhile, Thomas Mulcair is in Washington DC this week, and will be meeting with Democratic leaders in both Houses. According to the Globe and Mail, however, the NDP leader will not advocate for or against the cross-border pipeline project.
"My position is that the Americans are going to sort themselves out based on their own rules," he told the Globe.
His decision not to cheer lead has riled the Tories.
"We shouldn’t go to foreign capitals to score cheap political points," the Conservative Party said in a statement released on Monday afternoon.
"We call on Mr. Mulcair to make Americans aware of the reality – that Canadian measures to combat global warming are as good as, or better, than American standards.
"While Thomas Mulcair’s NDP stands ambivalent - or, against - Canadian workers, our Conservative government will continue to open new opportunities to increase Canadian exports to create Canadian jobs and economic growth in Canada."
The statement also notes that ministers Tony Clement, Ed Fast and Vic Toews will be travelling to Washington this week "to promote Canada's interests."
Recently both Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall separately made trips to the U.S. capital to promote Keystone.
According to the federal government the Keystone XL pipeline will create tens of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border.
(Photo courtesy of Reuters)
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