In Canada, Pipeline Remarks Stir Analysis – NYTimes.com

Perhaps it was his choice of words, but a small portion of President Obama’s speech about climate change on Tuesday has attracted a disproportionate amount of attention in Canada.

At issue are his remarks about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would send bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. The pipeline requires presidential approval and, for Canadians at least, has become a dominant political issue.

“Allowing the Keystone pipeline to be built requires a finding that doing so would be in our nation’s interests,” Mr. Obama said at Georgetown University. “Our national interest would be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution.”

The remarks were immediately parsed by supporters and opponents looking for any indication of the eventual decision.

via In Canada, Pipeline Remarks Stir Analysis – NYTimes.com.