A lobbyist for a Canadian company that wants to build a pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska — said American politics are standing in the way.
Jim Dunlap, who has spent six years both consulting and lobbying for the project, told attendees of the Southern Legislative Conference that the reason President Obama’s administration has not OK’d its permit for the project is a “philosophical opposition” to fossil fuels.
“That’s all it is it comes down to,” he said. “… They want to eliminate fossil fuel use.”
TransCanada has been stalled on the construction of the nearly 1,200-mile oil sands pipeline that would stretch from Alberta, Canada to Steele City, Neb.
Because the project would cross the border between Canada and the United States, it requires a permit from the president. So far, President Obama has yet to sign off on the project, Dunlap said. The project has also faced criticism from environmentalists.
The company applied for a presidential permit for its original Keystone pipeline under the Bush administration and received it within 23 months, Dunlap said.
“Today we stand at 46 months on the second permit application and we have no end in sights that we can see,” Dunlap said.
