Posted on 01/12/2014 12:16:11 PM PST by jazusamo
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said he thinks President Obama will approve the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
In the wake of multiple crude-by-rail train accidents in North Dakota -- leaving railcars ablaze and nearby residents at risk --Hoeven said on "Platts Energy Week" that the U.S. needs more pipelines.
The U.S. needs pipelines "not only to improve conditions in terms of rail, but trucks," Hoeven said on Sunday. "With the Keystone pipeline, we'd take 500 trucks a day off our roads in western North Dakota."
"So clearly pipelines are a part of the solution. But also we have to do everything we can in terms of safety when we talk about running crude by train or by truck," he added.
With U.S. crude oil production reaching near 20-year highs, the country's energy infrastructure -- specifically transportation -- has become a looming concern.
And with mounting pressure to find a solution for transporting increasing amounts of crude oil across the U.S., Hoeven thinks Obama doesn't have much a choice when it comes to the TransCanada proposed Keystone XL -- which would carry crude from oil sands in Alberta, Canada, to Gulf refineries.
When asked if the administration would approve it, Hoeven said he "thinks they will."
"I think they will because we keep pushing and I think if they turn it down I will be able to get enough of my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle to say 'no.' This is a necessary infrastructure, we've got to have it," Hoeven said.
Actually, they would just relocate. The oil boom all over the US is still understaffed and there are places where oil is that will never have a pipeline of significant size to service it. There are still many openings in the Texas oil play, for example.
Question: What does a black man have in common with the environuts? They need each other but Barak doesn’t need them now. Wait till after November.
No, the media would have to point out that his decisions, like most libs are done based on political expediency.
I have no doubt that 0bama is using Buffet and he will throw him under his own train when and if circumstances make it advantageous to The Won. For now I think Sen. Hoeven is engaging in wishful thinking. Jugears held fast on this through the 2012 elections so I don’t think he has any reason to cave now. Flaming rail cars notwithstanding.
Obama doesn’t care about congressional Democrats.
Michelle Obama’s not running for Senate in 2016 and president in 2024.
Slick Willie had to seem reasonable.
Won’t happen with Obama in the White House... he owes too much to the environmental whackos.
I’m surprised he has not outlawed railroads transporting stuff he does not like.
Yep, the enviro-nazis are the whole reason he hasn’t already given the okay, he’ll probably stall and kick this decision to the next prez.
Obama is too dense to do the right thing anytime soon. Hope springs eternal.
I will bet a six pack of Moose Drool …he will not ..and then say train can not carry oil
You are correct sir!
Hoeven's daddy was a lifelong Democrat in the state legislature and weasley Johnny was a Democrat too until it became hazardous to one's political health to be one.
Now he's just a shifty little sneak who will vote any which way he thinks might help keep him in office. Really the worst of the worst, the kind that has put the U.S. in the deep trouble we're in.
Can’t believe a great state like ND is stuck with this idiot and Heitkamp.
The state legislature has been quite conservative over the years (until lately when the Bakken Boom has put the kiddies in the kandy store).
But North Dakota has a long history of sending off the pork barrel guys to D.C., to keep the subsidies coming for farmers, old people and Indians, all of which there are many in the state.
p.s. You are probably aware that Hoeven runs as the moderate’s moderate while Heitkamp ran almost as a conservative, agin Obama and in favor of guns and oil.
As long as we don’t run another tool like Berg next time, she’ll hopefully be removed... like a bad wart.
As soon as I read that 500 trucks would be coming off the roads, I was baffled that the great zero hadn’t already okayed the pipeline due to the loss in jobs. He must be off his game for some reason.
I hope he does because it would be the right thing to do, but it would be better for us politically if he doesn’t.
We should have attached this to the unemployment extension. The deal would be , we’ll extend unemployment because it’s necessary in this emergency that the Obama economic policies have created, but we want job-creating measures so we don’t have to keep doing this.
The guy was an outstanding Governor in ND, and IMO should have easily ran for the WH in 2012.
The people of N. Dakota are NOT, on the whole, politically astute OR principled. They care about getting federal money. Some of them care about abortion.
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