In case you somehow missed it, President Obama on Friday denied the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline ending 7 years of uncertainty. Below are links to two videos. First is his 9 minute statement and the second is a shorter video from the Sierra Club thanking him.
I have discussed this controversy with many of you over the years and I know there are diverse opinions about the pipeline. However, I am amazed to hear the President, flanked by the Vice President and Secretary of State verbalizing exactly what I (and the Sierra Club and so many others) have been saying all along.
What is even more gratifying are the President’s comments that go beyond the specific issue of one pipeline and to the heart of the Climate Change issue:
1. Despite Senator Cruz’s absurd statement that climate legislation will cost the American Economy 10 million jobs, the efforts to combat climate change have created hundreds of thousands of well paying American jobs.
2. That the transition to a clean energy future is “going more quickly than many anticipated”.
3. “Our biggest and most successful businesses are going all in on clean energy.”
4. “Thanks in part to the investments we’ve made, there are already parts of American where clean power from the wind and sun is finally cheaper than dirtier conventional power.”
5. “The point is the old rules said we couldn’t promote economic growth and protect our environment at the same time. The old rules said we couldn’t transition to clean energy without squeezing businesses and consumers. But this is America, and we have come up with new ways and new technologies to break down the old rules so that today home grown energy is booming, energy prices are falling. And over the last decade, even as our economy has continues to grow, America’s cut our total carbon pollution more than any other country on earth.”
6. “We’re gonna have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them and release more dangerous pollution into the sky.”
7. “If we want to prevent the worst effects of climate change before it’s too late, the time to act is now. Not later. Not someday. Right here. Right now.”
8. “And I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish together. I’m optimistic because our own country proves every day, one step at a time, not only do we have the power to combat this threat, we can do it while creating new jobs. While growing our economy. While saving money. While helping consumers. And most of all, leaving our kids a cleaner, safer planet at the same time.”
