Louisiana’s Elected Officials Respond To Pres. Obama’s Keystone XL Pipeline Announcement

Elected officials representing Louisiana in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are commenting on President Obama's announcement that he was rejecting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

U.S. Senator and La. Governor's candidate David Vitter, who says he was the first member of Congress to introduce and lead on legislation to authorize the job-creating Keystone XL pipeline, had this to say:

After years of vague promises and no action, President Obama has finally taken a side, choosing the far-left’s liberal agenda over creating tens of thousands of American jobs and stabilizing our economy. Today’s decision is purely political and exactly the stubborn type of leadership that we can't afford from Obama or his allies – including John Bel Edwards.

Vitter's opponent, Democrat John Bel Edwards, offered up his thoughts, saying he disagrees with President Obama's statement:

If we're going to an all of the above energy strategy, constructing the Keystone XL Pipeline must be a part of that equation. After years of studies on the economic and environmental impact, it was clear to Louisianans and the country that this major infrastructure project would create good-paying jobs here at home. I'm disappointed in the President's decision to deny this project, but I'm confident this isn't the last we've heard about the Keystone XL Pipeline."

Louisiana's junior Senator Bill Cassidy, who says in his first floor speech as a U.S. Senator he urged the U.S. Senate to work together to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline and was an original sponsor of the House-passed bill, had this to say:

The president's rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline shows his allegiance to his supporters, not the American people. He rejected more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs that the American people want created. He ignored the 60 percent of Americans who want the pipeline built. Keystone could save workers' lives because transporting oil by pipeline means fewer accidents and spills. It is supported by Republicans and Democrats. It's a jobs bill the president has no reason to ignore. Louisiana families want Keystone built. It's a jobs bill. It's a workers' safety bill. It's an American bill.

And U.S. Congressman Charles Boustany had this to add:

The President’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline goes against years of studies showing little environmental impact but significant economic impact. I’m disappointed the President is putting a radical environmental agenda over our country’s jobs agenda when we need more jobs & energy integration with our allies. This is a tragic missed opportunity for our country.