KEYSTONE REACTION

Senators from Iowa and Nebraska are quickly weighing in on President Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL oil pipeline project.

Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns says the President apparently lacks faith in Nebraska to select a route through the state and is turning his head on an opportunity to create thousands of jobs in middle America.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the president is favoring extreme enviromentalism over job creation and an energy partnership with a friendly neighbor.

But Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson says Obama's rejection is what he predicted would happen if Congress intervened for political purposes and tried to rush the project by setting an arbitrary deadline.

Nelson says the root cause of the decision was Nebraska not working proactively with TransCanada years ago in determining a pipeline route through the state that addresses safety and enviromental concerns as other states did.

The 1,700-mile pipeline would carry oil from tar sands in western Canada to refineries in Texas. It would pass through South Dakota and Nebraska.