Canada-Texas oil pipeline clears hurdle
WASHINGTON -- The State Department on Friday removed a major roadblock to a planned $7-billion oil pipeline from western Canada to the Texas coast in a report that says it is unlikely to cause significant environmental problems.
The 1,000-page report on the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline says no significant problems have emerged since a similar report was issued last year.
Calgary-based TransCanada wants to build a massive pipeline to carry crude oil extracted from tar sands in Alberta to refineries in Texas.
It would carry about 700,000 barrels of oil a day, doubling the capacity of an existing pipeline from Canada. Supporters say it could cut U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
The project has become a flash point for environmental groups who say the pipeline would bring "dirty oil" that requires huge amounts of energy to extract and could cause an ecological disaster in a spill. Opponents have urged the Obama administration to block the project as a sign he is serious about protecting the environment. TransCanada says the project would create tens of thousands of jobs and be built to strict environmental standards.
-- AP
'A million years isn't enough' NewsdayTV goes behind the scenes of the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced for the Gilgo killings.
'A million years isn't enough' NewsdayTV goes behind the scenes of the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced for the Gilgo killings.
