The Case Against Keystone XL Gets Weaker
The WasteWatcher
Late Friday afternoon, right around when most people likely tuned out and stopped reading the news, the State Department released a report stating that the Keystone XL Pipeline would have little impact on climate change. Needless to say, this deals a major blow to one of the main groups opposing the pipeline. For those unfamiliar with the project, the State Department has been debating for more than four years whether or not to approve a permit request for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport heavy crude oil from Canada’s Alberta province to the Gulf of Mexico. If the pipeline is approved, proponents say that the project would create tens of thousands of U.S. jobs in construction and manufacturing while reducing dependence on foreign oil. However, on November 10, 2011, the State Department announced that it would delay the decision on whether or not to greenlight construction on the project until 2013. The State Department’s decision came just four days after thousands of protestors surrounded the White House and called for President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project, which has led many to speculate whether or not the Administration’s decision to delay the project until after the 2012 presidential election may have been based off of political considerations. One of the major opponents of the project has been environmentalists, who have claimed that the project would have extremely adverse effects on the environment. However, with the release of the State Department's report and the subsequent alleviation of the environmental concerns associated with the pipeline, the approval of Keystone XL should be a no-brainer.