GOP Rep. Terry, environmentalist McKibben battle over Keystone pipeline

Check out The Hill’s op-ed page for pieces by Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and 350.org founder Bill McKibben, who are on opposite sides of the Keystone pipeline battle.

McKibben links Capitol Hill support for the controversial oil pipeline to the public’s dismal view of Congress. He writes:

[T]he reason, above all, that everyone despises Congress is because they think it’s bought and paid for. And Keystone is the perfect example. When the House took its vote on the issue in December, 234 members voted to “expedite” the pipeline. They’d taken, between them, $42 million dollars from the fossil fuel industry, as compared with only $8 million for the 193 on the other side.

Terry is a leading advocate of TransCanada Corp.’s proposed pipeline to bring oil from Alberta’s tar sands projects to Gulf Coast refineries. He takes the White House to task for failing thus far to approve a project that Terry calls a major job creator. Congress is trying to force President Obama’s hand — the payroll-tax-cut deal enacted late last year requires a permit decision by Feb. 21. Terry writes:

It’s well past time for a decision on Keystone XL. While similar pipelines are regularly approved in 18 to 24 months, Keystone XL is still sitting on the shelf at month 40. If Feb. 21 comes around and Obama has decided that the Keystone XL Pipeline is not in our country’s best interest — or if he hasn’t decided anything at all — he will have some serious explaining to do to the American people.