President Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline project

President Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline project
House Speaker John Boehner criticizes President Barack Obama's decision to halt the Keystone XL pipeline. AP/J. Scott Applewhite
President Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline project
House Speaker John Boehner criticizes President Barack Obama's decision to halt the Keystone XL pipeline. AP/J. Scott Applewhite

President Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline project

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Yesterday, President Obama said “no for now” to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The project, to be executed by the company TransCanada, would have carried heavy crude oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada all the way south to refineries on the Texas coast.

The pipeline provoked a robust debate across the United States, prompting environmentalists, farmers, and members of the oil industry and Congress to stake out impassioned positions for or against its creation. The issue also seemed to re-energize America’s environmental movement. In November, 12,000 people encircled the White House to protest the pipeline, making it the largest protest to ever take place outside the president’s residence.

Last summer, Worldview explored the cultural, psychological and social tolls of the proposed pipeline with University of Alberta professor and philosopher David Goa. He’s director of the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life.

For David, Keystone XL had opened up a revealing dialogue about the kind of world Americans really want. Today, David returns to discuss the human issues surrounding the pipeline project.