Halting Keystone pipeline won’t curb climate change: #tellusatoday

Letters to the editor:

President Obama last week rejected the Keystone pipeline extension. He justifies his action by saying that it has become too political and that he is trying to mitigate climate change (“Obama administration rejects Keystone pipeline”).

However, there is nothing particularly political about the Keystone decision except Obama’s desire to cater to environmentalists. And transportation of oil by an extension of the Keystone pipeline is more environmentally friendly than transportation of the same oil by rail or by tanker trucks. One other shortcoming of this decision is Obama’s consistent failure to describe how this decision will in fact limit or slow down climate change.

The American people deserve more facts and less presidential fantasy.

James F. Blackstock; Brentwood, Tenn.

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The long battle over the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline came down to a central question: Is it in our national interest? It never was, and President Obama was right to reject it.

The pipeline project would have piped some of the dirtiest oil on the planet through the breadbasket of America to be refined on the Gulf Coast, mostly into fuels then shipped overseas. It always was a plan about big profits for big oil, not about helping our country. The State Department’s own analysis determined that — from wellhead to wheels — tar sands fuel generates 17% more carbon pollution than conventional oil. That’s 17% more — gallon per gallon — of the dangerous carbon pollution that’s driving climate change.

Anchoring us to fossil fuels of the past for another 50 years is not where our country needs to go. We’re already finding cleaner, safer and more efficient ways to power our economy. We’re building more fuel-efficient cars, all-electric and hybrid vehicles, powering them more and more with electricity from the wind and sun. Obama stood up to protect us from climate change and accelerate the transition to clean energy. That’s the kind of leadership we expect of our presidents.

Rhea Suh, president, Natural Resources Defense Council; New York

We asked what our followers thought about the Obama administration rejecting the Keystone pipeline. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

This decision makes no sense at all. The oil is just going to be shipped by other, more dangerous, means.

— @msmith586777

Thank you, President Obama, for saving the planet from greedy, selfish oil companies that only care about money.

— @HenrettaIndia

More oil shipped by rail will mean higher prices for consumers and no change in the flow of oil.

— @tomtabsand

Just because oil prices appear lower during his presidency doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be proactive!

— @CDun2

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.