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Archive for January 18th, 2012
Keystone: Dead Pipeline Lives On As Election-Year Issue
Posted by National Public Radio: Frank James on January 18th, 2012
National Public Radio: Now that President Obama has made his decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, an obvious question is what will it mean for the 2012 presidential election?
Obviously, no one really knows the answer to that though that won't stop weeks if not months of speculation.
The key to Keystone is, which side will have the most success in framing its case to enough voters for it to make a difference?
The president is clearly hoping he can persuade voters that Republicans made him do it, that they...
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Keystone XL oil pipeline rejected
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
BBC: The US state department has formally recommended the rejection of a controversial crude oil pipeline.
The state department denied a permit for the 1,600-mile (2,700km) Keystone XL pipeline, saying it had insufficient time to review the plans.
The Canada-Texas project has been delayed amid objections by the state of Nebraska and environmental groups.
At the end of 2011, Republicans forced a final decision on the plan within 60 days during a legislative standoff.
US President Barack Obama...
Obama rejects Keystone pipeline, but leaves door open for tar sands
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
Mongabay: The Obama administration today announced it is scrapping TransCanada's Keystone pipeline after Republicans forced a 60-day deadline on the issue in a Congressional rider. The State Department advised against the pipeline arguing that the deadline did not give the department enough time to determine if the pipeline "served the national interest." The cancellation of the pipeline is a victory for environmental and social activists who fought the project for months, but Republicans are blasting the...
Decision by Obama Won’t Keep Oil from Flowing
Posted by Climate Central: Bill Walker on January 18th, 2012
Climate Central: Today's decision by President Obama to reject, at least temporarily, the permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline -- which would carry the most climate-wrecking crude oil on Earth from Canada's tar sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast -- is unquestionably good news. But by itself it won't stop tar sands oil from flowing, or even keep it out of the United States.
This is not yet the death knell for the pipeline. Initial reports say TransCanada Pipelines may be allowed to reapply after a...
Keystone XL pipeline: Obama rejects controversial project
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
Guardian: Barack Obama rejected the controversial Keystone tar sands pipeline on Wednesday, making good on a promise not to give in to a Republican ultimatum on the project.
The announcement from the state department – which was expected – was hailed by environmentalists as a victory.
But it sets up an election-year confrontation over the pipeline, which was to carry carbon-heavy crude from the tar sands of Alberta across the American heartland to refineries on the Texas coast.
However, TransCanada,...
New pipeline study would take minimum 12-18 months
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
Reuters: The Obama administration could save time in evaluating any new Canada-to-Texas crude oil pipeline if it hewed closely to the Keystone XL proposal, but any assessment would take at least 12-18 months, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday. The Obama administration on Wednesday rejected the Keystone XL Canada-to-Texas crude oil pipeline project, a decision welcomed by environmental groups but blasted by the domestic energy industry and congressional Republicans. U.S. President Barack Obama said...
In Montana, a rough road for oil sands equipment
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
Reuters: Along a remote stretch of mountain highway near the Idaho/ Montana border, on the very same route that nearly killed the legendary 19th century explorers Lewis & Clark, two men are huddled in the snow, guarding a gargantuan blue box owned by Canada's Imperial Oil Ltd.
Pulled by truck, this house-sized "test module" set off from an inland Idaho port nine months ago to demonstrate how Exxon Mobil-owned Imperial planned to ship millions of pounds of Korean-made equipment across the back roads of...
Study: Nature Creates Buffer Against Climate Change
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
Voice of America: The most extensive study ever of biodiversity confirms what scientists have long believed, that natural ecosystems are healthier and more resilient when they support a large variety of plant life.
Reported in the Journal Science, this globe-spanning research finds that abundant forms of plant life keep soils more fertile and productive, and help to buffer ecosystems against the stresses of a changing climate.
The study focused on semi-arid ecosystems which cover 40 percent of the planet and...
Factbox: Keystone XL dominates energy, environment agenda
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on January 18th, 2012
Reuters: TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL pipeline has been at the center of an emotional debate in the United States, pitting promoters of energy security and job creation against advocates of a green economy who fear the environmental risks of moving oil across the length of the country.
Here are the facts and figures of the proposal and the major issues surrounding it:
PROJECT
Proponent: TransCanada, its country's largest pipeline and power generation operator, is best known for running the most...
U.S.: Obama Rejects Giant Keystone Pipeline Scheme
Posted by Inter Press Service: Jim Lobe on January 18th, 2012
Inter Press Service: In a decision fraught with political risk, U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday rejected the permit for the proposed giant Keystone XL pipeline project, insisting that his administration needed more time to determine whether it served the national interest.
His decision was hailed by environmentalists, who have strongly opposed the seven-billion-dollar project that would transport oil extracted from tar sands in Canada some 2,700 kms to U.S. ports on the Gulf of Mexico, and denounced by Republicans...