President Obama Announces Rejection of Keystone XL Pipeline

In a press conference held in the White House, President Barack Obama announced that he would not approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Obama explained that he was primarily concerned that the pipeline could contribute to global warming. Approving the pipeline, he said, would have “undercut America’s leadership on climate change.”

The decision comes seven years after the pipeline was first proposed in 2008. In 2011, a State Department review found that the Keystone Pipeline would have few to no adverse effects on the environment, a decision that was denounced by environmental activists. In response, President Obama delayed the final decision until at least 2013, a move The New York Times noted at the time helped “push thorny environmental matters beyond next November’s presidential election.”

In 2013, the State Department once again found the pipeline would not contribute to climate change. A 2014 congressional bill to force President Obama to make a decision on the pipeline passed the House, but failed by one vote in the Senate.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

[Image via screengrab]
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