After the midterms, Republicans’ top priorities will be to push through approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would carry carbon-intensive tar sands oil from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. Obama said he is open to working with Republicans on energy issues, but will await the State Department’s review process on Keystone.

President Obama: “On Keystone, there’s an independent process. It’s moving forward, and I’m going to let that process play out. … When I travel to Asia or I travel to Europe, their biggest envy is the incredible, home-grown U.S. energy production that is producing jobs and attracting manufacturing, because locating here means you’ve got lower energy costs. So our energy sector is booming. And I’m happy to engage Republicans with additional ideas for how we can enhance that.”