Clinton opposes Keystone pipeline

DES MOINES, Iowa – Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday she opposes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, breaking her longstanding silence over a project criticized by environmentalists.

The Democratic presidential candidate said she decided to speak out after concluding the ongoing debate over whether the pipeline should be built had become a distraction to larger efforts to fight climate change.

That distraction, she said, is “unfortunately, from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward to deal with the other issues. Therefore I oppose it.”

Clinton’s announcement came as she has ceded ground in some polls to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has long opposed the project.

The former secretary of state had previously said she shouldn’t take a position on the issue, because she didn’t want to interfere with the Obama administration as it considers whether to allow construction of a pipeline that would transport oil from Canada’s tar sands to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.

Spurred on by environmental activists and liberals who play a key role in the Democratic primaries and vigorously oppose the pipeline project, Clinton had expressed impatience in recent weeks over the Obama administration’s drawn-out deliberations.

Tom Steyer, a leading environmentalist and top Democratic donor, said it was a “clear example of people power overcoming the special interests” and credited Clinton for joining with “thousands of Americans calling on President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline in favor of building an American economy powered by clean energy.”