The Bogus Keystone Claim That Earned Obama Two Pinocchios

July 30, 2013

President Obama made another excuse this weekend for why he’s delaying the Keystone Pipeline. This time, he didn’t get away with it.

Obama made a strange claim – that the Keystone Pipeline would only create 2,000 jobs, and that, according to him, it wasn’t worth it.

“Republicans have said that [Keystone] would be a big jobs generator. There is no evidence that that’s true….The most realistic estimates are this might create maybe 2,000 jobs during the construction of the pipeline, which might take a year or two, and then after that we’re talking about somewhere between 50 and 100 jobs in an economy of 150 million working people.”

Not only is it discouraging that amid 7.6% unemployment the White House can so easily sneer at job creation in the private sector, but his math isn’t even accurate!

House Republicans were quick to jump on the President’s false claim.

“Representative Lee Terry, a Nebraska Republican, said Obama ignored estimates from the U.S. State Department about the jobs that the $5.3 billion construction project proposed by Calgary-based TransCanada would create, directly and indirectly.

“‘The president now has zero credibility when he speaks about infrastructure projects creating jobs,’ Terry, whose home state would be crossed by the pipeline, said in a statement.

“Republican lawmakers and industry groups said the president is making baseless claims about the proposed pipeline that have already been disproven by members of the administration.”

His numbers just weren’t right.

“A president disparaging private-sector jobs while backstage at a jobs rally is beyond belief. The president’s own State Department reported that Keystone would support upwards of 40,000 jobs. In this economy, any source of private job creation should be welcomed with open arms,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said in a statement.

Even the Washington Post chimed in this morning, noting that Obama’s own State Department has estimated the number of jobs created would be much higher.

“The State Department also says the project could “potentially support approximately 42,100 average annual jobs across the United States over a one-to-two-year period.”  State said the employment would translate into about $2 billion in workers’ earnings, $3.3 billion in construction and materials costs and $67 million in state and local taxes. That sounds like real money and quite a few jobs, at least in the short term.”

They gave the President two “Pinocchios” for his false claim.

“But the president shouldn’t pick and choose how he cites job-creation numbers. Perhaps he is tipping his hand on what he secretly thinks of the Keystone XL by citing a low-ball figure, generated by the pipeline’s opponents, but he should stick to using the official government estimate.”

President Obama, the time for feet dragging and excuse making is over. House Republicans are committed to making sure the White House stops playing politics with job growth and energy security. The voters are watching – it’s time to approve the Keystone Pipeline. Now.

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