The Keystone XL pipeline has been a controversial topic in Washington, caught between concerned environmentalists and an increasingly adamant energy lobby. But today, House Republicans rolled out a new weapon in the political fight: reaction GIFs.

This morning, the House Energy and Commerce Committee posted a history of the Keystone pipeline in 16 animated GIFs, including clips from Star Trek, a Harry Potter film and Bruce Almighty. The GIFs track an emotional rollercoaster, ranging from gleeful anticipation to a sense of frustration at the Obama Administration's refusal to approve the pipeline despite State Department reassurances, represented by a woman banging a plastic cup against a kitchen counter.

Although it tracks various federal responses to the pipeline, the GIF series gives little credence to the environmentalist opposition, which has come to see the oil sands served by the pipeline as a crucial battleground in the fight against global warming.