WASHINGTON—A U.S. lawmaker is boldly predicting that President Barack Obama is about to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, after years of delay and debate.
The surprise statement came Tuesday, July 28, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, from an unexpected source.
Sen. John Hoeven, a Republican critic of the president and a staunch defender of the Canada-to-Texas pipeline project, is unlikely to be privy to White House planning.
But rumours of an imminent rejection have swirled around Washington in recent days and Hoeven made them very public. In a chamber speech, he claimed to know what Obama will decide, when he‘ll decide it, and what logic he’ll use in making his long-awaited announcement.
The repercussions of a decision could ripple beyond the oil industry and environmental movement and make themselves felt on the campaign trail in upcoming elections in both Canada and the U.S.
The North Dakota senator said the president will make the announcement after Congress adjourns in two weeks for its summer recess, when Washington is quiet.
“Sources tell me that after almost seven years, President Obama is going to turn down the Keystone XL pipeline project,” Hoeven said.
“He‘ll wait until Congress is out of session for August, and then he’ll turn the project down while Congress is not in session, to have less pushback, less criticism of his decision if you will, make it under the radar.
“That’s understandable, because he’s making a political decision rather than a decision based on the merits.”
Hoeven said Obama will base his decision on environmental grounds, and he blasted the president for that, saying his own State Department concluded the pipeline wouldn’t increase pollution.
