Agency Green-Lights Keystone Pipeline

A long-awaited report from the State Department has dealt a potential major blow to efforts to stop construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. An environmental impact assessment released on Jan. 31 says the pipeline would not have a significant effect on global greenhouse gas emissions, leaving an opening for President Barack Obama to approve the politically divisive project. The proposed 1,179-mile pipeline, projected to cost $5.4 billion, would transport 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Canada’s tar sands in northern Alberta to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Opponents claim the pipeline would increase carbon pollution and speed up climate change. Business groups argue the project will create jobs and boost U.S. energy security. The White House says it has not made a decision and will await additional feedback from other federal agencies. In a speech last year, Obama said the pipeline should go forward only if it is carbon neutral. The State Department handled the review because the project crosses an international border.