Political Football: The President's Keystone Pipeline Punt

The Obama administration's announcement late last week that it is delaying its final decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline may have more to do with politics and the upcoming midterm elections than with allowing adequate time for deliberative review to ensure the project's environmental suitability.

That's the gist of recent articles published by U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, and New American.

U.S. News & World Report says the adminstration's postponement "has been seen as a political move from people on both sides of the pipeline debate, as pushing back a concrete decision will shield Democrats before the 2014 midterm elections." The article notes that "the [Democratic] party is split on the issue, with Democrats from states with large oil economies calling for the project’s approval, but other Democrats rejecting it for environmental reasons."