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Keystone Pipeline

March 23, 2012 by · Comments Off on Keystone Pipeline 

Keystone Pipeline, Amid criticism he isn’t doing enough to beat back rising gas prices, President Obama Thursday said he is calling on his administration “to cut through red tape, break through bureaucratic hurdles,” and make the Southern leg of the controversial Keystone pipeline “a priority.”

“Producing more oil and gas here at home has been, and will continue to be, a critical part of our all-of-the-above strategy,” Mr. Obama said from Cushing, Oklahoma, the site where the Southern portion of the pipeline will begin construction.

Mr. Obama’s stop in Cushing was part of a four-state, two-day tour in which the president touted his energy policies. Standing next to the giant TransCanada pipes that will make up the Southern leg of the Keystone pipeline, Mr. Obama sought to remind voters that he’s not opposed to domestic oil drilling.

In fact, “we’re drilling all over the place right now,” the president said, citing his administration’s directive to open up millions of acres for oil and gas exploration in 23 states. Under his watch, Mr. Obama said, the number of operating oil rigs has reached a record high, he said, and the U.S. has added enough new oil and gas pipeline to “circle the Earth and then some.”

The Southern leg of the Keystone pipeline should be a priority, he said, to free up the “bottleneck” of oil heading to refineries. “If we could, it would help us increase our oil supplies at a time where we need as much as possible,” he said.

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