White House: Politics A Non-Factor In Keystone Delay

The State Department’s decision to put off approving the Keystone XL pipeline was not influenced by politics, said President Obama’s top spokesman today.

Reuters reported yesterday that officials have decided to reassess the proposed Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline over concerns from environmentalists. The official who spoke said a final decision could take up to 18 months, well after the 2012 presidential election.

During a briefing with reporters, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that “none of those criteria” being used by the State Department to make a determination “are political.”

“The president has great confidence in the secretary of state, and he has confidence in a process that will take into account the criteria that he publicly said were very important,” Carney added.

The White House has signaled that although the State Department is in charge of reviewing the pipeline, Obama will have a key say regarding what ultimately happens. In a statement, the president defended the decision to reexamine the matter.

“Because this permit decision could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment, and because a number of concerns have been raised through a public process, we should take the time to ensure that all questions are properly addressed and all the potential impacts are properly understood.”