Rubio: I Will Reverse Obama and Approve Keystone XL

Republican White House hopefuls on Friday slammed the Obama administration's rejection of the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, saying the decision would hurt the U.S. economy.

Sen. Marco Rubio vowed on Twitter to approve the pipeline if he wins the White House.

When I'm president, Keystone will be approved, and President Obama's backwards energy policies will come to an end.

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 6, 2015

"The Obama admin's politically motivated rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is a self-inflicted attack on the U.S. economy and jobs," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said on Twitter.

The Obama Admin's politically motivated rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline is a self-inflicted attack on the U.S. economy and jobs.

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) November 6, 2015

President Barack Obama's rejection of the proposed oil pipeline from Canada was a victory for environmentalists, who have lobbied against it for years. Supporters countered that the pipeline would boost America's energy security and create construction jobs.

Obama told a news conference on Friday he had concluded the pipeline, proposed by TransCanada Corp, would not help the U.S. economy over the long term.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, also a White House hopeful, accused Obama of giving in to "radical environmentalists."

Obama did get support from Democratic presidential candidates on Friday.

"It is insane for anyone to be supporting the excavation and transportation of some of the dirtiest fuel on earth," U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said in a statement.