U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts accused President Barack Obama of putting “politics before jobs” with his administration’s rejection of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline Wednesday.
“Tens of thousands of jobs would have been directly created during construction. Related industries could have seen thousands more jobs created,” Pitts said in a prepared statement following the announcement.
The U.S. State Department has estimated the pipeline would create 5,000 to 6,000 jobs. A Cornell University study projected “no more than 2,500 to 4,650 temporary direct construction jobs for two years.”
Obama said he’s denying an application for the $7 billion project to carry oil from Canada to Texas Gulf Coast refineries because a GOP-mandated deadline didn’t allow time for a full review.
“This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people,” he said.
“I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my administration’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil.”
Pitts said Canada is preparing to push forward with plans to build a pipeline to the Pacific Ocean, which would allow for the shipment of oil to Asian markets.
“President Obama keeps talking about bringing jobs back from overseas,” said Pitts, who represents Lancaster County in the 16th Congressional District seat. “However, he could end up being directly responsible for shipping jobs to China.”
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