Obama greets anti-Keystone pipeline mascot Frostpaw in Hawaii [photos]

, , , , , , ,

President Obama took time out from his vacation golf game to send a shout-out to a protester posing as “Frostpaw,” the climate change mascot of environmentalist groups opposed to construction of the Keystone pipeline. The polar bear also showed up at the basketball game Obama attended last night.

The polar bears have been trailing Obama for a while now. We’re sure they didn’t mind a little tropical warmth for the holidays.

Frostpaw the Polar Bear, commissioned by the Center for Biological Diversity, had a brief run-in with President Obama this afternoon after golf.

Obama was golfing at Mid-Pacific Country Club in Lanikai until shortly before 2:30 p.m. today. He had missed a shot (his golf game is notoriously mediocre), gave a “half man-hug” to one of the other players and said hello to a crowd of onlookers at the course, according to the White House press pool report.

That’s when the president said, “Hey polar bear!” with a laugh as he passed by. The bear was sent by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity to send a message to the president to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline project.

These job-destroying enviros may “stand with Frostpaw,” but studies don’t back them up. Earlier this summer, independent research echoed government reports that the Keystone project would not add to greenhouse gas emissions.

The study found that the addition of the new pipeline connecting Canadian oil sands fields with the U.S. Gulf Coast wouldn’t make a substantial difference in emissions because U.S. refineries would get similar crude from Venezuela or elsewhere.

Production, processing and transportation of Venezuelan heavy crude results in about the same greenhouse gas emissions as oil sands crude, according to the study from energy-focused information and research firm IHS CERA.

A prior report from IHS CERA said that Keystone XL would offer an alternative to Venezuelan and Mexican crudes.

Protests have increased as Obama nears a decision on the project expected in the next few weeks.

So far no presidential selfies with polar bears.

Yet.

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/12/24/hey-polar-bear-obama-greets-anti-keystone-pipeline-mascot-frostpaw-in-hawaii-photos/

Comments are closed.