Supporters and opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline have found something to agree on: Both sides would really like U.S. President Barack Obama to make a decision on the controversial project.
KXL supporters have spent years pushing for a quick decision. But now “some critics, increasingly confident that Obama will reject the Canada-to-U.S. pipeline, have joined them in calling for a resolution,” Bloomberg reports.
“This is a switch for Keystone’s foes,” Snyder writes. “They used to view no decision as no pipeline, and that meant less carbon dioxide from the production of Alberta’s oil sands. Now some see the effort as taking resources away from other environmental fights.”
“As long as Keystone is an open question, it sucks up a lot of oxygen,” said senior campaigner Elijah Zarlin of Credo Action. Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, said the time and effort going into the Keystone fight could be devoted to anti-fracking campaigns or renewable energy advocacy.
“We don’t understand what the White House is waiting for,” she said. “Landowners would like to have the certainty that their land is no longer at risk.”
