Public Opposition

The E.P.A. is objecting (and yet again) to the Keystone XL Pipeline, stating in a letter to the State Department, that a 4 year State Department study has "insufficient evidence" for the project to proceed.   The State Department study was reportedly conducted amidst numerous conflicts of interests, while standing in stark contrast to E.P.A. findings of "significant environmental impacts." 

The pipeline crosses an international border (in this case, of course, the U.S. and Canada), which is why the State Department is involved.  A twist being, with the approval of the project, TransCanada obtains eminent domain over American land - something they cannot obtain (even under NAFTA).

Via the Grist, the Montreal Gazette reports TransCanada acccusing the E.P.A. of attempting to interfere in Canadian sovereignty "by recommending that the State Department explore ways the U.S. can get involved in reducing emissions from Canada’s oilsands."

A State Department comment period on the Keystone XL Pipeline closed a couple of days ago with over a million comments from the American public against the Keystone XL. 

In the video below, Anthony Swift with the National Resource Council reviews the situation with Thom Hartmann, saying that the sheer volume of comments shows "how deep the opposition" to the pipeline is in the United States. 


 


*Photo credit/JournalCetera/Photo: National Radio Canada/Pieces of the Keystone XL pipeline await transport. From 10/25/2012, "Engineer raises concerns over Keystone XL Pipeline."