Politics. On Point.

President Obama, as promised to Congress on several inferences, has vetoed a bill blocking the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. In the president's veto message to Congress, the president writes, "I am returning herewith without my approval S. 1, the "Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act."  Through this bill, the United States Congress attempts to circumvent longstanding and proven processes for determining whether or not building and operating a cross-border pipeline serves the national interest." The Keystone XL pipeline has been a point of contention between Congress and the president for some time.   Congress, with glaring approval from the House speaker John Boehner, claims that building the pipeline would create hundreds of job.  He has called the presidential veto a "national embarrassment ." Said the speaker in a You Tube address , "It;s embarrassing when Russion and China are plowing ahead on two massive pipelines and we ca...

President Obama revealed a memorandum today on the expedited review of pipeline projects from Cushing, Texas to Port Arthur and other domestic pipeline infrastructure projects. With gas prices hovering well over $4.00 a gallon, the president insists that "we must safely and responsibly develop our oil resources here at home, as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy to grow our economy and make us more secure." All Americans want to know is will doing so bring down the cost gasoline prices? The president spoke today Cushing Pipe Yard in Oklahoma where he again remarked on reducing reliance on foreign oil, saying, "Although expanding and modernizing our Nation's pipeline infrastructure will not lower prices right away, it is a vital part of a sustained strategy to continue to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and enhance our Nation's energy security." Taking heat from Congress, and supporters of the Keystone Pipeline, the president is calling f...

President Obama has made his decision.  No Keystone XL Pipeline . The president put off deciding to have the pipeline built until further recommendations and assessments could be made.  The pipeline would run from Canada to Texas. In an official White House press release, President Obama stated, "Earlier today, I received the Secretary of State’s recommendation on the pending application for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  As the State Department made clear last month, the rushed and arbitrary deadline insisted on by Congressional Republicans prevented a full assessment of the pipeline’s impact, especially the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment.  As a result, the Secretary of State has recommended that the application be denied.  And after reviewing the State Department’s report, I agree", writes the president.  "This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary natur...

The decision to build the oil pipeline that would potentially cover approximately 2,000 miles from Alberta, Canada to Texas, better known as the Keystone XL, has been delayed. The State Department announced today that it will explore a new route for the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline citing its concerns the route’s impact on the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Opposers of the Pipeline proposal, like Friends of the Earth , site that the project could potentially offer hazardous affects to indigenous people along its route, and the environment.  It could also carry one of the world’s dirtiest fuels: tar sands oil. Protesters took the White House in opposition of the XL Pipeline, with members Congress joining them in their concerns.  A business agent for a plumbers union we spoke to at the president's Georgetown Key Bridge event urging Congress to pass his Jobs bill, told us he and many other construction workers would welcome the construction of the Pipeline. ...