WASHINGTON - John Baird is in Washington today pushing for a prompt decision on the TransCanada (
TSX:T.TRP,
Stock Forum) Keystone XL pipeline.
The foreign affairs minister is making public appearances with Keystone-friendly senators amid a string of meetings.
The message from Baird and the senators is that the Obama administration shouldn't drag out the approval process any longer.
At one news conference, Baird said “decision time” is upon us, later repeating the phrase to emphasize the point.
When asked what else politicians can do to advance the file, Baird said there's only one who can truly make a difference, and his name is Barack Obama.
Baird made the remark next to North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat who also expressed frustration over what she calls an unnecessarily lengthy approval process.
Heitkamp says it's taken the U.S. longer to approve a simple pipeline than it did to defeat Adolf Hitler.