The Time Period

The Keystone XL Pipeline was vetoed by President Obama on February 24,2015. It is important to look at the time period surrounding that event in order to better understand why it occurred. The time period is always key to placing a story into its context.

Local News Events
Washington DC Legalizes Pot in spite of House Republicans
Government Shuts Down Because of 6 Inches of Snow

National News
United States Lifts Embargo on Cuba and Begins to Restore Relations
United States Declares Venezuela a Threat to National Security

Global News
China Posts Worst Economic Growth in 24 Years
Migrants Die After Boat Capsizes in Mediterranean Sea

During the late part of February 2015, the Keystone XL Pipeline Bill was vetoed and shot down, culminating in a larger controversy than the pipeline was previously. The world was filled with more events going on during this time though. During the first few months of 2015, many other large stories captivated the media and the people that would watch that media. In Washington DC, lawmakers and the mayor approved the legalization of marijuana for recreational use despite Republican lawmakers urging the mayor to veto the bill. DC became one of a few territories or states that have legalized marijuana use for recreational or medicinal purposes. Another big story in the Washington DC area was the major snowstorm that moved through DC and caught people off guard. Even lawmakers were caught off guard as the entire government had be shutdown because of the storm that dumped 6 inches of snow in a short period of time. Both of these events deal with the political scene in DC but other than that there isnt a direct connection to the Keystone XL controversy. National News during this time period was captivated with national security related issues including the United States deciding to end the embargo on Cuba and restore relations between the two nations, including tourism. Another national news event was the United States declaring the nation of Venezuela a threat to the security of the United States. This was  after Venezuelan leaders potentially discriminated against political rivals and set up to kill them. Declaring a nation a threat is the first path to an embargo. Both of these national news stories also didn't relate to the pipeline controversy. Global news stories during this time included a possible economic downturn beginning in China which could lead to global economic issues and the immigration crisis in Europe caused by an influx of Middle Eastern refugees fleeing the wars in Syria and ISIS. This immigration crisis was brought to the worlds attention after a boat smuggling refugees capsized in the Mediterranean sea, killing several refugees. This sparked months of debate in Europe over how to handle the influx of people coming into their nations.

Irish Defense Forces, "Operation Triton" via Wikipedia
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