The Canadian corporation responsible for the Keystone XL pipeline has asked the U.S. government to temporarily suspend the review process for the controversial project.
The Keystone XL pipeline was dealt a blow earlier this year when President Obama vetoed legislation that had been approved by Congress. The Senate later failed to override the veto in March. The pipeline would transport oil from Canada’s tar sands to pipelines in refineries in Houston and other locations on the Gulf of Mexico.
[RELATED: Sioux Tribal Leader Calls Keystone XL Pipeline an Act of War]
On Monday, TransCanada Corp sent the US. Department of State a letter asking for a delayed review. TransCanada may have sought a delay rather than an outright rejection from the Obama administration. The State Department told Reuters it had received the letter from TransCanada but the review would continue for now.
Mark Cooper, a TransCanada spokesman, said that TransCanada was not interested in speculating on what decision might be made. If the Obama administration halts the review process, the next U.S. president would be responsible for the future of the Keystone XL pipeline.
The pipeline has been resisted by landowners in Nebraska, as well as indigenous communities in Alberta, Canada. Critics also say the pipeline’s purported increasing of jobs is false. There have also been disputes over official documents related to the permitting of the pipeline.
In early July, Truth In Media reported that Secretary of State John Kerry was issued a subpoena seeking the release of all “reports, recommendations, letters and comments received by the State Department from the advising agencies pursuant to Executive Order 13337 regarding the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.”
[Read more: Secretary of State John Kerry Subpoenaed Over Keystone Pipeline Documents]
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent letters February 24th and June 15th attempting to get the same documents, but the State Department has refused to release the reports.
In a statement accompanying the subpoena, Commitee Chairman Jason Chaffetz stated that the State Department has been “uncooperative” and “shown an unwillingness to recognize the Committee’s legitimate interest in obtaining information.”
Stay tuned to Truth In Media for updates on this developing situation.
