Keystone faces years of wrangling
Posted January 29, 2015 11:06 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The controversial Keystone XL pipeline has won the approval of the US Senate.
But it could be years before the project is off the ground, or officially called off…for good.
US President Barack Obama is expected to veto the Senate’s approval, but there’s nothing to stop the Senate from continuing to push for the project.
The proposed pipeline designed by TransCanada is supposed to carry crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The plans were unveiled six years ago.
Mike Hudema of Greenpeace says besides the political wrangling, there’s the legal wrangling.
“Right now there are lawsuits that have been launched in Nebraska, challenging the routes through Nebraska. The permit for the pipeline has expired in South Dakota, so there is mounting opposition to prevent that permit from being re-issued.”
He believes the longer the assessment process drags on, the less likely it will be approved.
“Anytime there is a delay, it allows us to get more of the concerns around the pipeline out to the general public. Definitely the resistance to this pipeline has just grown over the years.”
He asserts as more people learn about climate change, the less marketable oil from the oil sands is going to be.
