President Barack Obama on Monday insisted to a bipartisan gathering of governors at the White House that the Keystone XL Pipeline simply won’t be built, according to several GOP governors present.
This week, Obama is expected to veto legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Congress calling for the pipeline’s construction.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, speaking to reporters after the governors met with Obama, said the president was dismissive during a private Q&A with the governors when Keystone was brought up. Haley said Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin broached the topic with Obama.
“She spoke up and said we would respectfully like to talk to you about the Keystone Pipeline,” Haley recalled. “And the second she got it out of her mouth, he goes, ‘Not gonna happen.’ I mean, he immediately shut us down and implied it was not anything he was going to entertain.”
“He stated very clearly, and concisely, that he was going to veto the pipeline bill,” North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, added.
Speaking at a press availability organized by the Republican Governors Association, Haley said: “This is now my fifth year, going and meeting with the president, and I think I’m frustrated. I continue to be frustrated. And the reason is I think he was genuine in saying that we want to work with the governors, the governors are the ones that get things done, they’re the ones that really want to move the ball. But every time we try and move the ball with him, he says no.”