Obama's day: Incident on a bridge
Obama is on the rise politically

Obama will decide whether to approve oil pipeline

By David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama says he will make the final call on a 1,700-mile oil pipeline through the Midwest, a decision that puts him between environmentalists and constituents who are more worried about jobs and energy development.

Obama told KETV-TV of Omaha on Tuesday that the State Department will give him a report on the pipeline over the next several months, and he will decide based on "what is best for the American people."

"What's best for our economy both short term and long term?" Obama said. "But also: What's best for the health of the American people?"

There are also political aspects to the pipeline project that would carry oil from the tar sands of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

Supporters said the project would generate new sources of energy and create jobs, no small matter with unemployment at 9.1%.

Opponents include environmentalists who say the pipeline could produce a domestic version of last year's BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Critics have led protests outside the White House in recent months.

Reuters notes that "opposition is crystallizing in Nebraska, where the pipe would cross the Ogallala Aquifer and the Sand Hills region, home to whooping cranes and other endangered species."

Obama told the Omaha television station that "we want to make sure we're taking the long view on these issues."


"There's a way of doing that and making sure the health and safety of the people of Nebraska are protected. And that's how I'll be measuring these recommendations when they come to me ...

Folks in Nebraska, like folks all across the country, aren't going to say to themselves, 'We're going to take a few thousand jobs if it means our kids are potentially drinking water that would damage their health.'"

Obama's day: Incident on a bridge
Obama is on the rise politically