Federal agencies now have two weeks to determine their views on the Keystone XL Pipeline and report them to the State Department by February 2nd. The State Department will then make its final determination about the impact of the project and report their findings to lawmakers.
At least eight federal agencies have been asked to provide input to the State Department, according to a report from Fox News. However, the final report will be the last word on the project, which has become a contentious political debate in Congress.
Last week Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that he would make the passage of the XL pipeline the first issue of the upcoming congressional session. President Obama responded to the news by stating he would veto the bill, meaning two thirds of Congress will have to vote in favor of the bill to override the presidential action. However, such a move could be good for the political climate in Washington; if Democratic lawmakers break ranks, strike a bargain, and build up some political goodwill with the Republicans, then the legislation may be able to strike a chord of bipartisanship throughout this session.
Meanwhile the Keystone XL Pipeline is in greater legal troubles after seven plaintiffs in Nebraska filed a lawsuit against TransCanada, the Canadian company trying to build the pipeline. The company plans to file eminent domain papers by January 22 to take property from landowners in order to build the pipeline. However, the Nebraskans believe that a 2012 state law that would allow such actions is unconstitutional. A recent ruling from the Nebraskan Supreme Court threw out a similar lawsuit after the judges split their decision 4-3 in favor of the farmers, but the landowners needed a five judge super majority.
The Keystone XL Pipeline is a cross country oil pipeline that will shill Canadian tar sands from the Canada across the great plains down to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. Proponents say the pipeline will result in cheaper oil, lower environmental costs related to shipping, and create jobs. Those against the measure point out the pipeline will be benefiting a foreign company more than a domestic one, and that TransCanada will not have to put money into an oil spill clean up fund due to technicalities.
