Heinrich Flips On Pipeline

Martin Heinrich made a meaningless flip for political convenience, supporting only half of the Keystone XL pipeline after opposing the entire pipeline for months.  The President isn’t needed to construct the Southern edge of the pipeline, and he is still holding up the section that connects oil production with refineries on the gulf.

Heinrich vocally opposed the entire pipeline for months, calling it dirty and foreign even as it brings hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day to American refineries and create tens of thousands of jobs. But now he’s supporting Obama’s meaningless “political ploy” that will have absolutely no impact on oil production.

 

Heinrich Flipped On Supporting Only The Southern Half Of The Keystone XL Pipeline:

Heinrich Opposed The Entire Keystone Pipeline In January. HEINRICH: “I’m committed to an energy future for our nation that is both clean and domestic. The tar sands pipeline is neither.” (Rep. Martin Heinrich, “Heinrich Statement On The Tar Sands Pipeline,” Press Release, http://heinrich.house.gov/, 1/18/12)

Heinrich Opposed The Entire Keystone Project On March 2nd. HEINRICH: “I don’t think that tar sands are the future of our energy. I think the future of our energy should be clean and domestic. Tar sands are neither, especially given the fact that the idea with that pipeline was to ship it across the US with no American-made steel and export it from the Gulf of Mexico. But I do support domestic production of oil and gas and I do support additional investments in making sure that renewables create jobs here in America and not just abroad.” (“Heinrich Gets Endorsement, Talks About Senate Run, Says He Would Oppose XL Pipeline Project,” Capitol Report New Mexico, http://www.capitolreportnewmexico.com/, 3/2/12)

Heinrich Now Supports Obama’s Decision To Fast Track The Southern Half Of The Pipeline. “On Friday, Heinrich said he supported Obama’s decision to speed reviews on the southern portion of the pipeline. ‘We should focus our infrastructure efforts on moving American oil and natural gas to market as cleanly and efficiently as possible, not on developing Canadian tar sands for sale in Chinese markets,’ he said.” (Michael Coleman, “Bipartisan Spirit Propels Tech Transfer,” Albuquerque Journal, 3/24/12)

Energy Groups Called Obama’s Decision On The Southern Half Of The Pipeline A “Political Ploy.” “The President is speaking in Payne County this Thursday morning. It may be rural Oklahoma, but when it comes to pipelines, it’s the Capitol. The President is expected to talk about energy, though many in that industry are not impressed.  They are even planning to protest his visit, calling it a political ploy more than a genuine interest. Mike Cantrell with the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance says, ‘For the last three years he’s been anti-fossil fuels.’” (Chellie Mills, “Petroleum Producers Plan Presidential Protest,” KFOR-TV Oklahoma City, http://www.kfor.com/, 3/20/12)

  • The President’s Approval Of The Southern Half Of The Pipeline Is Unnecessary. “Industry experts say while his support for the southern end is welcome, it’s not needed. They build pipelines in the country all the time without needing presidential approval.” (Chellie Mills, “Petroleum Producers Plan Presidential Protest,” KFOR-TV Oklahoma City, http://www.kfor.com/, 3/20/12)

The Keystone Pipeline Will Create Tens Of Thousands Of Jobs. “The pipeline project is expected to create more than 20,000 high-paying construction and manufacturing jobs in the near term and more than 250,000 permanent jobs in the long run (The Perryman Group, 2010).” (“Key Vote Alert Letter In Support Of H.R. 1938, The ‘North American-Made Energy Security Act,’” U.S. Chamber Of Commerce, http://www.uschamber.com/, 7/22/11)