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Transcanada gets another permit, Obama still holding up the rest
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On Friday, Keystone XL pipeline developer Transcanada got the final permit it needed for the southern portion of the pipeline that will bring oil from Oklahoma to Texas refineries.
“Receiving this final, key Army Corps permit for the Gulf Coast Project is very positive news,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada’s president and chief executive officer. “TransCanada is now poised to put approximately 4,000 Americans to work constructing the US $2.3-billion pipeline that will be built in three distinct ‘spreads’ or sections.”
This 500-mile portion of the pipeline, dubbed the Gulf Coast Project, has received backing from the Obama administration. The move is likely part of an effort to counter Republican criticism of the administration’s energy policies.
“We look forward to working with TransCanada to ensure that it is built in a safe, responsible and timely manner, and we commit to take every step possible to expedite the necessary federal permits,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
The larger 1,200 mile portion of the pipeline that will bring Canadian tar sand oil from Alberta to Nebraska, however, remains a political battle, as it is still being held under review by the Obama administration — a decision hotly contested by Republicans, industry groups and unions.
Environmental groups, however, have opposed the pipeline, and there are state concerns over the its environmental impacts.
On June 29, the Sierra Club and two other green-politics groups filed suit against the Army Corps of Engineers for issuing the nationwide permit for the pipeline.
Likewise, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality expressed concerns about the proposed route of the pipeline through the state, as the line would cross through areas where “fragile soils and aquifer protection are concerns.”
The Hill reports that the Obama administration doesn’t plan on making a decision about the cross-border permit until 2013 — something Republicans have publicly attacked. Meanwhile, the GOP is pushing legislation that would immediately approve the project.
“‘Mr. President, please treat the northern portion of the pipeline in the same manner as you treated the southern portion,” Nebraska Representative Lee Terry said. “You praised the construction for the southern route but keep changing the rules for the part that crosses the border. We need consistency but more importantly, we need to take the politics out of the debate.”
Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney says he would approve the pipeline on “day one” if elected.
Transcanada said it wants to begin the $2.3 billion Gulf Coast Project within the coming weeks, and hopes to have pipeline running by mid-to-late 2013, the Hill reports.
“The Gulf Coast Project will contribute millions in property taxes to counties in Oklahoma and Texas, money that can be used to build roads, schools and hospitals,” Girling added.
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