CUSHING, Okla. -- The President is scheduled to speak in Payne County this Thursday morning. It may be rural Oklahoma, but when it comes to pipelines, it's the Capitol. The President is expected to talk about energy, though many in that industry are not impressed.
They are even planning to protest his visit, calling it a political ploy more than a genuine interest.
Mike Cantrell with the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance says, "For the last three years he's been anti-fossil fuels."
Mickey Thompson, an energy industry expert and political analyst, says, "He calls our industry an industry of the past and they'd like us to go away."
The President is expected to mention his support for a pipeline running from Payne County to the gulf; it's the southern end of the “Keystone XL Pipeline.”
Industry experts say while his support for the southern end is welcome, it's not needed.
They build pipelines in the country all the time without needing presidential approval.
The President's "green light" is only needed for approximately 50 feet on the northern end of the pipeline; that segment would cross the Canadian border.
So far the President has delayed that project.
Petroleum producers plan presidential protest - KFOR
