President Obama said the Keystone XL pipeline he killed Friday had taken on an “overinflated role” in the U.S. political debate. And of course he’s right — and his attitude is one of the reasons why.
Even in his speech explaining his administration’s rejection of the pipeline application, he indulged in the kind of hyperbole that he allegedly deplores.
“Frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership” on climate action, he maintained.
Not true. As the State Department concluded months ago, the pipeline would not have materially boosted carbon emissions because the oil from Canada would find its way to the market anyway.
However, this particular pipeline (there are others from Canada that no one seems to care about) became a symbol for green activists, and now is a symbol for the president himself. Global leadership indeed.
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