Lamborn pledges to attach pipeline to legislation

Congressman Doug Lamborn didn’t mince words when he spoke to local business leaders Monday.

El Paso County’s Republican representative said President Barack Obama’s policies will sink the country if continued, the military is in danger of having to use antiquated equipment, and House Republicans are going to force the president to support the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

“The state of the economy is miserable,” Lamborn said, playing on Obama’s recent State of the Union speech, which he boycotted.

Lamborn delivered what he called his “state of the union” to about 100 people at a Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Lamborn blasted the president for his economic policies, and said what the country needs is a bigger focus on free-market economics.
“The innovation of the private sector is what makes this country great,” he said.

The congressman also slammed Obama for withdrawing his support for the Keystone pipeline, which would have funneled oil from Canada to several locations in the U.S. Obama sided with environmental advocates who opposed the project, saying the pipeline hasn’t been fully vetted.

“We’re going to attach the pipeline to must-pass legislation,” Lamborn told the room. “The environmental arguments against it are bogus.”

Chamber CEO Dave Csintyan said Lamborn hit all the right notes in his speech.

“He discussed something that this region, whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent, needs to dwell on,” Csintyan said, referring to Lamborn’s warnings of defense spending cuts.

Businessman Robert Blaha, who is running against Lamborn in a primary, attended the chamber luncheon and called the speech “long on details and short on new ideas.”

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