Clog in the Line: Planning for the mammoth Keystone XL Pipeline slowed to a trickle in November when the U.S. State Department announced it would halt permitting on the hotly contested project in order to assess possible environmental and health impacts of the 1,700-mile pipeline.
Environmentalists and landowners also celebrated news that the pipeline route—originally slated to stretch from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Texas—would be altered to avoid Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer and the wetlands of the Sand Hills.
Although some heralded the double whammy as the beginning of the end for the project, others were less sanguine when pipeline proposer TransCanada immediately began talks with the Nebraska legislature to determine new routes the pipeline might take through the state. A poll of “energy insiders” by the National Journal indicated a majority thought the project would eventually move forward.
Newly Opened Channels: Nebraska governor Gov. Dave Heineman said that he approved a change in the pipeline route that would skirt the Sand Hills region and other “fragile soils,” according to a letter he wrote to President Obama.
The letter cites economic benefits and “minimal environmental impacts” as reasons for Nebraska’s about-face on the topic. The state was also heartened by TransCanada's assurances that it would take sole responsibility for any spills.
Environmentalists, however, weren’t comforted by the reroute, saying that even if there are no spills (one expert estimates there could be more than 91 spills in 50 years), U.S. reliance on the tar sands oil carried by the pipeline will be just as damaging.
“The latest pipeline review still ignores the biggest impact of Keystone XL: climate change,” May Boeve, the executive director of 350.org, told the New York Times. “The tar sands oil that would flow through Keystone XL is the dirtiest form of fuel on the planet, and burning it would have a devastating effect on our climate.”
Coming Down the Pipe: Much has been made of the awkward position Nebraska’s approval creates for President Obama after he touted the need to tackle human-caused climate change in his recent inaugural address. If the pipeline is allowed to go through, his commitment to climate change will be questioned. If it’s not, he’ll be seen as thwarting much needed economic growth—a drum that’s already being pounded.
“Nebraska’s approval of a new Keystone XL pipeline route means there is no bureaucratic excuse, hurdle, or catch President Obama can use to delay this project any further,” House Speaker John Boehner is quoted as saying in the Christian Science Monitor. “He and he alone stands in the way of tens of thousands of new jobs and energy security.”
Ultimately, the decision on how to proceed will be informed by the State Department’s National Interest Determination process. The department estimated in November that its review would be completed by March.