WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he can't imagine the Obama administration rejecting the proposed Keystone XL oilsands pipeline, arguing the final decision should be a "complete no-brainer."
Harper made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg News during his trip to New York for meetings at the United Nations and with U.S. business leaders.
"Look, it's hard for me to imagine that the eventual decision would be not to build that. The economic case is so overwhelming," Harper said. "The number of jobs that would be created on both sides of the border is simply enormous. The need for the energy in the United States is enormous."
Calgary-based TransCanada Corp., is awaiting a decision before year's end from the U.S. State Department over whether it can go ahead with the $7-billion pipeline, which would carry oilsands crude from northern Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
The pipeline has been delayed amid strident opposition from environmental groups in the U.S. that contend its construction will promote greenhouse gas-intensive oilsands production and threaten sensitive ecosystems along its path.
A final environmental impact study by the U.S. State Department last month found Keystone XL would be no significant threat to U.S. natural resources.
"The alternatives for the United States are not good. And, you know, on every level, not just economic (but) political, social, even environmental, the case is very strong for this," said Harper, who made a personal plug for the pipeline during a meeting last February with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Harper said he is "confident" the pipeline will be built.
"The fact that there are these kinds of pressures to, you know, to potentially take decisions which would, in my judgment . . . to avoid a decision would be a complete no-brainer."
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