Politics
Obama Won’t Budge on Keystone Ahead of House Vote
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., participates in a Senate race debate with fellow candidates Republican candidate and Tea Party favorite Rob Maness and Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
(Fox News) – President Obama would not budge on the Keystone pipeline ahead of a key House vote on Friday, indicating during a press conference that he wants to let a review process run its course even as lawmakers threaten to send a bill fast-tracking the project to his desk.
The president spoke during a joint press conference in Burma with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. As the House prepares to vote on the pipeline — and the Senate is set to vote next week — Obama made clear his position has not changed.
Obama said his administration believes the project should be judged on the basis of whether it accelerates climate change. Obama also insisted the pipeline would not be a “massive jobs bill” and would have no effect on U.S. gas prices.
The looming vote will mark the ninth time it has been voted on in the House as lawmakers look to finally secure approval of the delayed proposal after numerous environmental reviews, legal challenges to its route and politics.
