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| Obama Hints He Favors Pipeline in Talk to Donors | |
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| SAN FRANCISCO — President Obama on Wednesday night laid bare the political dilemma he faced in deciding the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada as he told a group of high-dollar donors that the politics of the environment “are tough.” | SAN FRANCISCO — President Obama on Wednesday night laid bare the political dilemma he faced in deciding the fate of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada as he told a group of high-dollar donors that the politics of the environment “are tough.” |
| Mr. Obama appears to be leaning toward approval of the pipeline, although he did not specifically mention it to the donors. But he acknowledged that it is difficult to sell aggressive environmental action to Americans who are still struggling in a difficult economy to pay bills, buy gas and save for retirement. | Mr. Obama appears to be leaning toward approval of the pipeline, although he did not specifically mention it to the donors. But he acknowledged that it is difficult to sell aggressive environmental action to Americans who are still struggling in a difficult economy to pay bills, buy gas and save for retirement. |
| “You may be concerned about the temperature of the planet, but it’s probably not rising to your number-one concern,” Mr. Obama said. “And if people think, well, that’s shortsighted, that’s what happens when you’re struggling to get by.” | “You may be concerned about the temperature of the planet, but it’s probably not rising to your number-one concern,” Mr. Obama said. “And if people think, well, that’s shortsighted, that’s what happens when you’re struggling to get by.” |
| Mr. Obama delivered his remarks to a group that hardly needs to worry economically: Thomas F. Steyer, the hedge-fund billionaire, and his wife, Kat Taylor, along with 100 guests at their home who each paid $5,000 to $32,400. The Sea Cliff home looked out directly over the Golden Gate Bridge. | Mr. Obama delivered his remarks to a group that hardly needs to worry economically: Thomas F. Steyer, the hedge-fund billionaire, and his wife, Kat Taylor, along with 100 guests at their home who each paid $5,000 to $32,400. The Sea Cliff home looked out directly over the Golden Gate Bridge. |
| Mr. Steyer is an outspoken critic of the pipeline, which would carry heavy crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Opponents say the pipeline will damage the environment by encouraging the extraction of oil from tar sands in Canada, and they warn of risks to groundwater should the pipeline leak. | Mr. Steyer is an outspoken critic of the pipeline, which would carry heavy crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Opponents say the pipeline will damage the environment by encouraging the extraction of oil from tar sands in Canada, and they warn of risks to groundwater should the pipeline leak. |
| The State Department, which has jurisdiction over the proposed pipeline because it crosses an international border, issued an updated environmental assessment last month that concluded that the environmental and climate change impacts of the project are manageable. | The State Department, which has jurisdiction over the proposed pipeline because it crosses an international border, issued an updated environmental assessment last month that concluded that the environmental and climate change impacts of the project are manageable. |
| The department will hold a public hearing on the new environmental impact statement, on April 18 in Grand Island, Neb. But the review process is expected to last until summer. | The department will hold a public hearing on the new environmental impact statement, on April 18 in Grand Island, Neb. But the review process is expected to last until summer. |
| In the meantime, the challenge for Mr. Obama is to find a way to balance the political demands of his supporters like Mr. Steyer with the insistence of Republicans, Canadian officials and some unions that the pipeline will create jobs and lower the cost of fuel in the United States. | In the meantime, the challenge for Mr. Obama is to find a way to balance the political demands of his supporters like Mr. Steyer with the insistence of Republicans, Canadian officials and some unions that the pipeline will create jobs and lower the cost of fuel in the United States. |
| The president also faces pressure from some members of his own party who argue that the economic benefits of the pipeline are too important to ignore. Last month, 17 Democratic senators signed on to an amendment backing construction of the pipeline. Included in the group were seven senators from conservative or swing states who face re-election in 2014. | The president also faces pressure from some members of his own party who argue that the economic benefits of the pipeline are too important to ignore. Last month, 17 Democratic senators signed on to an amendment backing construction of the pipeline. Included in the group were seven senators from conservative or swing states who face re-election in 2014. |
| In the face of those pressures, at Wednesday’s fund-raiser — and at a second one at the home of the billionaire philanthropists Ann and Gordon Getty — the president sought to reassure his supporters that he would continue to fight for environmentally friendly policies. | In the face of those pressures, at Wednesday’s fund-raiser — and at a second one at the home of the billionaire philanthropists Ann and Gordon Getty — the president sought to reassure his supporters that he would continue to fight for environmentally friendly policies. |
| “Despite a very aggressive agenda on the other side to block action, we’ve been able to double fuel-efficiency standards on cars,” Mr. Obama said at Mr. Steyer’s home. “We’ve been able to take mercury out of our air. We have been able to reduce carbon emissions in this country and have made not only this a healthier place to live, but have also begun to address in a serious way one of the biggest challenges of our time, and that is the challenge of climate change.” | “Despite a very aggressive agenda on the other side to block action, we’ve been able to double fuel-efficiency standards on cars,” Mr. Obama said at Mr. Steyer’s home. “We’ve been able to take mercury out of our air. We have been able to reduce carbon emissions in this country and have made not only this a healthier place to live, but have also begun to address in a serious way one of the biggest challenges of our time, and that is the challenge of climate change.” |
| Later, at the Getty home, the president said the political debate needs to “break out of this notion that somehow there’s a contradiction between us being good stewards of the environment and us growing this economy. They are not a contradiction. We can grow this economy fast and faster if we are seizing the opportunities of the future and not just looking at the energy sources of the past.” | Later, at the Getty home, the president said the political debate needs to “break out of this notion that somehow there’s a contradiction between us being good stewards of the environment and us growing this economy. They are not a contradiction. We can grow this economy fast and faster if we are seizing the opportunities of the future and not just looking at the energy sources of the past.” |
| Even as he spoke at the second fund-raiser, about 100 opponents of the pipeline protested outside, waving signs and chanting, “What do we want from our president? No pipeline for the one percent!” and “When I say pipeline you say kill! Pipeline! Kill!” | Even as he spoke at the second fund-raiser, about 100 opponents of the pipeline protested outside, waving signs and chanting, “What do we want from our president? No pipeline for the one percent!” and “When I say pipeline you say kill! Pipeline! Kill!” |
| Inside, Mr. Obama told the donors that the best way to assure environmental action is to send more Democrats to Washington, returning the House to Democratic control and putting Representative Nancy Pelosi of California back in the speaker’s office. | Inside, Mr. Obama told the donors that the best way to assure environmental action is to send more Democrats to Washington, returning the House to Democratic control and putting Representative Nancy Pelosi of California back in the speaker’s office. |
| “If we’re going to deal with climate change in a serious way, then we’ve got to have folks in Congress — even when it’s not politically convenient — to talk about it and advocate for it,” Mr. Obama said. | “If we’re going to deal with climate change in a serious way, then we’ve got to have folks in Congress — even when it’s not politically convenient — to talk about it and advocate for it,” Mr. Obama said. |
| Earlier in the evening, the president said he was eager to work with Republicans who are willing to compromise. But he said he needed more Democrats to fully achieve an agenda that his adversaries were trying to block. | Earlier in the evening, the president said he was eager to work with Republicans who are willing to compromise. But he said he needed more Democrats to fully achieve an agenda that his adversaries were trying to block. |
| “We could be putting back to work Americans all across this country not just rebuilding roads and bridges, but building state-of-the-art schools and a smart grid that would make sure that we’re wasting less energy, and link cities that are using energy with wind farms in the Dakotas and in the plains of Colorado,” he said. | “We could be putting back to work Americans all across this country not just rebuilding roads and bridges, but building state-of-the-art schools and a smart grid that would make sure that we’re wasting less energy, and link cities that are using energy with wind farms in the Dakotas and in the plains of Colorado,” he said. |
| Democratic officials said the president helped the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raise $3.2 million at the events Wednesday night, the first of 14 fund-raisers that Mr. Obama has promised to attend on behalf of Democratic House candidates. | Democratic officials said the president helped the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raise $3.2 million at the events Wednesday night, the first of 14 fund-raisers that Mr. Obama has promised to attend on behalf of Democratic House candidates. |
| John Broder contributed reporting from Washington | John Broder contributed reporting from Washington |