President Barack Obama agrees with U.S. State Department to reject Canadian energy giant TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline.
Obama announced the news from the White house Friday morning, saying the pipeline would not serve national interests or lower gas prices for American consumers.
The decision caps a 7-year saga that became one of the biggest environmental flashpoints of Barack Obama’s presidency.
Killing the pipeline allows Obama to claim aggressive action on the environment. That could strengthen his hand as world leaders prepare to finalize major global climate pact next month in Paris that Obama hopes will be a crowning jewel for his legacy.
Yet it also puts the president in a direct confrontation with Republicans and energy advocates that will almost surely spill over into the 2016 presidential election.
Story by the Associated Press