President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, announces he’s rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline because he does not believe it serves the national interest, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 6. (Susan Walsh, The Associated Press)
Re: “Obama quashes Keystone XL in bid to boost climate leverage,” Nov. 7 news story.
President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is a big win for environmentalists all over the U.S., but the fight to keep fossil fuels in the ground isn’t over yet. Congress is currently debating lifting a decades-old ban on crude oil exports in the United States. If this ban is lifted, U.S oil production has the potential to increase by 3.3 million barrels per day, which would increase worldwide carbon emissions by an estimated 22 million metric tons per year. Allowing the export of crude oil would greatly contribute to the destructive effects of global warming. I urge Congress to retain the ban on crude oil exports.
Leah Epstein, Denver
This letter was published in the Nov. 13 edition.
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