Keystone XL Pipeline Rejected, Obama Announces

Great news today via the NY Times regarding the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. President Obama took advantage of low gas prices and the resulting decline in US oil production to officially reject the construction proposal today. Since coming into office, Obama has made a strong push for a clean energy future, and shutting down Keystone XL after a 7-year battle could very well be the capstone on that effort.

The Keystone XL Pipeline was a key supply pipeline cutting through the center of the US in order to deliver crude from the Canadian Tar Sands down to US refineries in Texas and Louisiana. While this is just one pipeline among many proposals, it had grown to symbolize the fight against Big Industry and for the environment. Additionally, because this pipeline would have been supplied by crude from the Canadian Tar Sands, not having this cheaper, direct outlet to high-volume refining will keep the bar high for tar sands oil, which is extremely damaging to the areas from which it is produced, and requires a significant amount of energy to get out of the ground.

Check out the full NY Times article for all the juicy details; and afterwards, head out (in your EV) to celebrate (responsibly 🙂 ).  It’s almost like a surprise Christmas gift to welcome you into your weekend :).