Boehner not impressed by Obama's push for southern part of Keystone pipeline

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was unimpressed by President Obama’s announcement that he would order expedited approval for part of the Keystone oil pipeline, saying it would have “no impact on the construction of this pipeline.”

Republicans have been calling on Obama for months to approve construction of the full pipeline, which would bring oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. The White House rejected the pipeline after legislation put a 60-day timeline on its approval.

Obama appeared in Cushing, Okla., to announce he was ordering federal agencies to speed up their review of the southern portion of the pipeline. Republicans say it is the northern section that crosses the Canadian border that Obama must act on.

“Today he's out in Oklahoma trying to take credit for a part of the pipeline that doesn't even require his approval. Now this is what I'm calling the Obama energy gap,” Boehner said during a Thursday press conference at the Capitol.

“The president should listen to the American people and allow the Keystone pipeline to forward,” the Speaker added. “There's a big gap between what the president promises and what he talks about and the actions that he's taking. And I think honest, hard-working taxpayers deserve actions that match the words.”

Obama said the January decision to reject the permit was not based on the merits of the project, but on a GOP-backed, 60-day deadline included in an extension of the payroll tax cut.

“Members of Congress, who decided this might be a fun political issue, decided to intervene,” Obama said during his speech, in an effort to blame Republicans for the Keystone delay.

The president insisted that the rest of the Keystone pipeline — which would originate in Alberta, Canada — needs further review to ensure it doesn’t harm the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska.

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