Contrary to the Jan. 19 Post editorial “A kink in the pipeline,” President Obama was right to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. The United States does not need sludge from Canadian tar sands pumped through ecologically sensitive areas.
Even though memories fade quickly, we should remember the disaster that took place with the chants of “drill, baby, drill” still in our ears. And we should note that the extraction from tar sands seriously harms the environment up north, including wreaking destruction on the habitat of migrating birds. Why should this country be complicit in damaging any part of the North American environment?
Stuart Endick, Burke
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On Friday morning, perhaps while many Post readers were learning of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s (R) opposition to lifting the moratorium on mining uranium from the nation’s largest such mineral deposit, located in Southside Virginia [“McDonnell puts off decision on uranium,” Metro, Jan. 20], the governor was appearing on “Fox and Friends” railing against President Obama for his “terrible decision” on the Keystone XL pipeline as “another attack on the energy industry.”
Of the decision to keep the mining moratorium in place, Mr. McDonnell said it would give officials time to consider the impacts of excavating the ore. According to The Post’s Jan. 19 front-page article on the pipeline rejection [“Obama denies permit to build oil pipeline”], the president’s decision was based on an arbitrary congressional deadline that did not allow time for adequate review of the project, notably because of the pipeline’s route through possibly sensitive habitat in Nebraska.
Please explain, Mr. Governor, what’s the difference?
William M. Levitan, Kensington
The writer is director of the Office of Environmental Compliance at the Energy Department’s Environmental Management program. The views expressed are his own.
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Was it an ironic coincidence that the article about Steven Murdock’s job-hunting woes [“I’m not looking for a handout,” front page, Jan. 19] was placed next to the one about President Obama denying a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline? Or was this a brilliant decision by The Post’s staff?
Stephen Izant, Crownsville
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