Today, Friday, Nov. 6,  President Barack Obama vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline, a move that according to a state department study would have employed nearly 4,000 Americans.

Senator Jim Banks

“By rejecting this plan, President Obama has moved our country away from energy independence and dealt a damaging blow to the economy,” said Indiana Senator Jim Banks. “I stand in firm opposition to President Obama’s calculated political decision that aligns the President with environmental extremists and costs the country thousands of jobs,” said Banks. Banks is running for Congress in Indiana’s Third Congressional District.

U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski, Indiana’s Second Congressional District, issued this statement: “I’m disappointed the president turned his back on legislation that had overwhelming support from both the House and the Senate to put more Americans back to work and move our country towards energy independence. This is a missed opportunity to create thousands of jobs for American workers and strengthen our local economies.”

Obama announced he rejected the request from a Canadian company to build the Keystone XL oil pipline, ending a seven-year review that had become a symbol of debate. The pipeline was proposed to be 1,179 miles long, carrying 800,000 barrels a day of carbon-heavy petroleum from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski

“America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change,” the president said from the White House. “And frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership.”

His rejection of the proposal was made ahead of a United Nations summit meeting on climate change in Paris in December. It’s reported the president hopes to help broker a historic agreement committing the world’s nations to enacting new policies to counter global warming.

The Keystone project became a political symbol among clashes over energy, climate change and the economy. While it is believed a single oil infrastructure project would have little impact on reducing greenhouse gas pollution, environmentalist have spent four years rallying against the plan across the country.

Republians and the oil industry had demanded the president approve the pipeline, which would create jobs and stimulate economic growth. Many Democrats also supported the project. In February, congressional Democrats and Republicans joined together to sent the President a bill to speed approval of the project, but the president vetoed the measure.