President Obama vetoes KXL bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama used only his third veto to halt a bill that would force construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Neither the House nor Senate have enough votes to override the president’s rejection of this controversial project.
Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica issued the following statement:
We thank President Obama for using his third veto to strike the Keystone XL bill. The veto sends a strong message to Congress that the government should represent the interests of the American people instead of Big Oil.
The Keystone XL bill is the first in the Republican leadership’s plan to unabashedly assault our clean air and clean water, during this Congress. The veto follows through on the president’s State of the Union promise to prevent Congress from endangering the health of our children.
We applaud the president’s veto, but encourage him to refuse TransCanada a permit to wreck our planet. Now is the time for the president to reject the entire pipeline.
Note to editors: The State Department is expected to finalize its National Interest Determination memo, and make its final recommendation to President Obama in the coming weeks, paving the way for him to make a final decision.
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