Hillary says she is against Obama's flagship Keystone XL oil pipeline – just as Pope Francis touches down with environmental message for Washington
- In front of Iowa voters, Hillary Clinton proclaimed that she opposes the Keystone XL pipeline
- Hillary Clinton called it a 'distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change'
- Previously she told New Hampshire voters that 'this is President Obama's decision'
- Her stance comes as Pope Francis arrives in Washington and is expected to deliver a pro-green message to members of Congress
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who has long avoided a firm position on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, broke her silence on Tuesday and said she opposed it.
'I have a responsibility to you and other voters,' Clinton, a former secretary of state, said at a town hall event in Iowa about TransCanada Corp's project to bring Canadian oil to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico via Nebraska.
'I think it is imperative that we look at the Keystone pipeline as what I believe is the distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change.'
'Therefore, I oppose it,' she said.
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Hillary Clinton took a position on the Keystone XL today, saying she 'opposed it.' Previously, as a candidate, she said 'this is President Obama's decision'
Pope Francis touched down today at Joint Base Andrews and was greeted by President Obama. Francis is expected to touch on his encyclical on the environment when he addresses Congress on Thursday
Clinton called the Keystone XL pipeline a 'distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change'
Clinton’s comments came just as Pope Francis was touching down at Joint Base Andrews for a visit whose political undertones are expected to include an environmental message.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus lashed out at Clinton an hour later, saying in a statement that she once 'insisted her work on Keystone at the State Department prevented her from taking a position on the pipeline, and now we know she was being blatantly dishonest.'
'Clearly, Hillary Clinton’s rapid decline in the polls and the prospect of the Vice President entering the race caused her to change course,' Priebus said. 'But instead of backing a job-creating project the American public overwhelmingly supports, Hillary Clinton has sided with extreme special interests, reinforcing how out of touch she is and that she’ll say or do anything to get elected.'
Lindsey Graham, a hawkish Republican senator from South Carolina, piled on.
'Building this pipeline is essential to our national security by reducing our dependence on oil from countries that hate us,' Graham said. 'Keystone represents sound environmental policy that will move the American economy in the right direction and strengthen our national security.'
But the green lobby, which Clinton will need in her corner as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden put pressure on her, welcomed her position.
'This reversal is a testament to efforts of farmers, ranchers, indigenous people and environmentalists who came together to stop this pipeline,' said Friends of the Earth Action President Erich Pica,' calling the pipeline a 'climate-destroying project.'
Environmental activists close to Clinton's campaign said the timing of her remarks was driven by her desire to make clear her opposition before the Oct. 13 Democratic debate.
Senator Bernie Sanders, who is running against Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, opposes the pipeline and had urged her to take a position on the project.
Clinton's opinion about the pipeline has been closely watched. In 2010, as secretary of state, she said she was inclined to approve it. Asked repeatedly about the project since she entered the race in April, she has declined to state her stance.
Hillary Clinton's stance on Keystone XL has been closely watched and pro-environment Democrats, including rival Bernie Sanders, are cheering the decision
It was her State Department that was charged with issuing an environmental impact report on the project. The agency finally came through last year, concluding that it would not likely have an impact on global greenhouse gas emissions.
But State was quick to caution that the assessment was 'not a decision document.'
Keystone XL supporters say the pipeline would increase North American energy security and provide thousands of construction jobs. Opponents say it would increase greenhouse gas emissions by speeding development of Canada's oil sands.
President Barack Obama is expected to make a decision in coming months on the pipeline that has been pending for seven years.
Clinton had said last week that she wouldn't wait much longer for the Obama White House to take a position on the project.
'I worked in the administration, I started the process that was supposed to lead to a decision, I can't wait too much longer and I'm putting the white House on notice,' she said on Sept. 17 during a New Hampshire town hall meeting.
'I'm going to tell you what I think soon, because I can't wait.'
A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that while he was disappointed in Clinton, he's confident that Americans in general disagree with her.
'This is not a debate between Canada and the U.S. We know the American people support the project,' the spokesman said. 'We will not engage in presidential primary debates.'
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