The U.S. State Department late Friday afternoon found that the TransCanada Corp. Keystone XL oil sands pipeline would have “no significant impact” on natural resources along its proposed route from Alberta, Canada to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
The fate of the pipeline now rests with the Obama administration, which has delayed making a decision since the president was inaugurated. Dozens of anti-pipeline protesters were arrested Friday outside the White House.
The following statement from an energy expert at The Heartland Institute may be used for attribution. For additional comments or to schedule an interview, refer to the contact information below, or call Heartland’s director of communications, Jim Lakely, at 312/731-9364.
“Environmental activists are attempting to draw a line in the sand on this project to force the president to make an adverse permit determination, but in doing so they are overstating its environmental significance.
“As this report reiterates, failure to complete this project will cause greater harm to the environment at a greater cost to the American people. Now is not the time to wage symbolic crusades when billions of dollars of direct investment into the economy are at stake.”
John Monaghan
Legislative Specialist for Environment Policy
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 27-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Austin, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Columbus, Ohio. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
