Bill Clinton to House Dems on Keystone: It’s Gas Prices and Jobs, Stupid!
FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Tim Bishop (NY-01), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), John Garamendi (CA-03), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Kathy Hochul (NY-26), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-09), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Betty Sutton (OH-16), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-21), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), John Yarmuth (KY-03)
Former President Bill Clinton Says Pipeline Should Be Built While Gas Prices Skyrocket Under the Democrats’ War on Energy
WASHINGTON — North Carolina Democrat Mike McIntyre and President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project is attracting growing criticism from unlikely sources as gas prices continue to soar to new record highs. Now even former President Bill Clinton says the Keystone pipeline is a source of energy independence that should be built as soon as possible to create jobs and contribute to American energy independence.
“Mike McIntyre’s decision to join President Obama in rejecting the Keystone pipeline was perfectly consistent with his party leaders who insist record-high gas prices are not a problem,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Now even former President Clinton disagrees with the Keystone rejection, demonstrating how the war on energy started by McIntyre and his fellow Washington Democrats continues to become more out of touch with working families. It begs the question: why does McIntyre continue to hold a position that benefits few Democrat campaign donors at the expense of so many Americans?”
Former President Bill Clinton said the Keystone pipeline should be embraced after Democrats rejected it under pressure from their activist donor base:
“Speaking at an Energy Department conference in Maryland on Wednesday, the former president said he was surprised the project has gotten as gummed up as it has… ‘So, I think we should embrace it and develop a stakeholder-driven system of high standards for doing the work,’ Clinton added.”
(Darius Dixon and Dan Berman, “Bill Clinton: ‘Embrace’ Keystone XL,” Politico, 2/29/12)The Keystone pipeline would provide badly needed energy independence at a time of record high gas prices:
“‘If Canada can’t produce this oil, we’ll have higher oil prices than we otherwise would,’ says Michael Levi, senior fellow for energy at the Council on Foreign Relations.”
(Guy Raz and Brent Baughman, “What Happens If The Keystone XL Pipeline Isn’t Built?” National Public Radio, 2/26/12)But the Obama Administration has plainly said addressing record-high gas prices is not their goal:
“‘But is the overall goal to get our price’ of gasoline down, asked Nunnelee.
“‘No, the overall goal is to decrease our dependency on oil, to build and strengthen our economy,’ Chu replied.”
(Alex Guillen, “Chu: DOE working to wean U.S. off oil, not lower prices,” Politico, 2/28/12)