The Obama administration said Friday that it is giving federal agencies more time to assess a proposed trans-national pipeline, likely keeping a decision about the controversial Keystone XL project from being made anytime soon.
Both the Associated Press and Reuters reported that the decision to further delay any announcement about the project is expected to keep the Keystone pipeline’s future uncertain until after November, when several United States government positions will go up for grabs at mid-term elections.
The news came on Friday courtesy of the US Department of State, which has jurisdiction over the decision because the 1,200-mile pipeline, if completed, will cross America’s international boundary with Canada.
If the project is approved, the pipeline is expected to transport crude tar sands from Canada down towards the Gulf of Mexico. Environmentalists and other activists have largely opposed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, however, while President Barack Obama has been criticized by opponents for not already approving a project that’s expected to create thousands of new jobs.
In the midst of a years-long debate, the State Dept. said that more time is required so that the agencies involved can sufficiently analyze the trove of submitted comments and evidence and make the best decision possible. So far, the project has been waiting on a permit from US officials for five years.
“On April 18, 2014, the Department of State notified the eight federal agencies specified in Executive Order 13337 we will provide more time for the submission of their views on the proposed Keystone Pipeline Project,” the department said in a statement. “Agencies need additional time based on the uncertainty created by the on-going litigation in the Nebraska Supreme Court which could ultimately affect the pipeline route in that state. In addition, during this time we will review and appropriately consider the unprecedented number of new public comments, approximately 2.5 million, received during the public comment period that closed on March 7, 2014.”
The court ruling cited by the State Dept. was made this past February in the District Court of Lancaster County, where Judge Stephanie Stacy said that the governor’s decision to let the $5.4 billion pipeline pass through Nebraska was “unconstitutional and void.”
“The Permit process will conclude once factors that have a significant impact on determining the national interest of the proposed project have been evaluated and appropriately reflected in the decision documents,” the State Department said on Friday.
It isn’t just the tree hugger extremists who recognize the potential danger of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Jimmy Carter has become first former US president to speak out against the controversial Keystone XL project, which would see tar sands oil flow from Canada to the US.
Carter joined a group of nine other Nobel Prize winners who signed a letter to President Obama, urging him not to endorse the plan.
“You stand on the brink of making a choice that will define your legacy on one of the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced – climate change,” the letter reads.
The Nobel laureates argue that “the tar sands are among the world’s most polluting oil” and say that they have the support of 2 million people “who submitted their comments in the national interest determination process rejecting the pipeline.”
The letter describes the Keystone XL decision as one of the most crucial for the Obama administration and one that will go down in history.
“A rejection would signal a new course for the world’s largest economy,” the appeal to the US President reads. “You know as well as we do the powerful precedent that this would set. This leadership by example would usher in a new era where climate change and pollution is given the urgent attention and focus it deserves in a world where the climate crisis is already a daily struggle for so many.”
What could possibly go wrong with over 1200 miles of pipeline?
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, and Arkansas have experienced massive oil spills within the last year – and three within the last month. One would think that such spills would at least be a side note on the national news outlets, but the corporate controlled media remains silent.
Below is a short clip of a pipeline that busted and affected a neighborhood in Arkansas.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
