Those who support climate action but say it’s not worth fighting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline like to imply that President Obama’s approval of the pipeline would earn him political capital. But the head of one polluter front group would like to assure Washington that whether President Obama approves or rejects Keystone XL, Big Oil will still hate him just as much.
Grist’s David Roberts has extensively documented the Very Serious People BipartisanThink case against #noKXL activists. As Jennifer Yachnin reports in E&E News (sub. req.), a top oil industry lobbyist says they’re wrong – that Big Oil will fight any efforts to cut carbon pollution tooth & nail regardless of President Obama’s Keystone decision:
But [American Energy Alliance and Institute for Energy Research President Thomas] Pyle added that approving the pipeline won’t curb industry criticism of the Obama administration, including over what it sees as efforts to hold back oil and gas production on federal lands.
“I don’t know that it buys him any good will,” Pyle said. “There will be lots of statements of thank you … but ultimately from a political perspective I don’t know that it buys him any room to maneuver.”
And ill will could linger over how much time it has taken the administration to make a final decision on the pipeline, Pyle added.
All the climate-disrupting carbon pollution and not even a thank you from his political enemies? All the more reason President Obama should do the right thing and reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
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