U.S. Representative Steve Stivers, R-15th District, took to social media Tuesday to protest President Barack Obama’s veto of the Keystone XL pipeline bill.
The bill would have approved construction of an oil pipeline extending from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast. There, it would be distributed to any number of crude oil processing facilities.
“I am extremely disappointed in the decision to veto #KeystoneXL Pipeline, this action destroys jobs for hard-working taxpaying #Americans,” Stivers, who represents Athens, tweeted around 3:40 p.m.
He posted five other tweets on the subject between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Additionally, Stivers released a statement Tuesday saying “The President’s veto of the Keystone XL Pipeline is bad for jobs, bad for America and bad for our energy independence. I am extremely disappointed this Administration continues to ignore what hard-working taxpaying Americans want and instead listens to environmental special interest groups.”
The bill, which was originally proposed six years ago, has drawn criticism for cutting through wildlife areas and possibly encouraging the development of tar sands in Canada.
“The #KeystoneXL veto proves the President doesn’t listen to hard-working taxpaying #Americans, but instead to environmental interest groups,” Stivers said in a tweet.
He encouraged his followers to retweet him with the hashtag “#TimetoBuild” if they opposed the President’s veto. That tweet received eleven retweets within an hour of posting.
In a news release, Obama said he vetoed the bill because it posed a threat to the nation’s “security, safety and environment.”
“The Presidential power to veto legislation is one I take seriously,” he said. “But I also take seriously my responsibility to the American people.”
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