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Report: Keystone XL Will Drive Oil Sands Growth, Boost Emissions
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on August 30th, 2013
Hill: The Keystone XL pipeline will expand oil sands production in Canada by 36 percent, and therefore, ramp up carbon emissions, according to a report released Thursday by environmental groups. The groups said the report gives President Obama “all of the information he needs to reject” Keystone, as the president said in June he’d oppose the Canada-to-Texas pipeline if it “significantly exacerbates” carbon pollution. “The answer to the president’s Keystone XL climate challenge is clear: the Keystone...
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Interior Dept. Says Keystone XL Could Harm Parks, Wildlife
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on August 16th, 2013
Hill: The Interior Department said the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline could have a negative impact on natural resources, wildlife and national parks.
Interior said Keystone builder TransCanada Corp. must better assess the Canada-to-Texas pipeline’s impact on noise and lighting.
“Scientific studies demonstrate that light pollution and noise can adversely affect natural and cultural resources, wildlife, and visitor experiences,” Willie R. Taylor, director of Interior’s office of environmental policy,...
Crunch time for Keystone XL
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on August 14th, 2013
Hill: It’s crunch time in the fight over constructing the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.
Both sides believe a decision by President Obama could come by the end of the year, making the next few months critical for lobbying and messaging efforts.
Opponents plan a burst of demonstrations and other events across the country to rally environmental pressure on Obama to reject the Alberta-to-the-Gulf-Coast pipeline.
Supporters are also campaigning, with the American Petroleum Institute (API) promoting...
State Dept. Watchdog Launches Inquiry into Keystone XL Environmental Analysis
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on August 2nd, 2013
Hill: The State Department’s internal watchdog has “initiated an inquiry” into whether the contractor Foggy Bottom used for a draft environmental analysis on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline had a conflict of interest.
The move is a response to allegations from several outside groups, Doug Welty, a spokesman with the State Department Office of Inspector General, told The Hill on Friday.
The development raises the possibility of another redo of the analysis assessing Keystone’s environmental impact....
Sens. Landrieu, Hoeven to Float Keystone XL Resolution
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on July 31st, 2013
Hill: Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) will introduce a resolution Wednesday that says building the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline is in the national interest and that President Obama should approve it, according to a news report. “It’s just another measure designed to put pressure on the administration to approve the project," Hoeven told North Dakota's The Dickinson Press. A nonbinding resolution, if it came to a vote, would put lawmakers on record regarding their stance on the...
Top Senate Dem Might Conduct Oversight of Keystone Pipeline
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on July 17th, 2013
Hill: Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is weighing whether to conduct oversight of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.
Wyden told reporters Tuesday that he’s had “a number of conversations” with senators about oversight proceedings for the proposed Canada-to-Texas pipeline.
“There are a host of questions with respect to Keystone, foremost of which is the evidence pointing to the fact that much of that energy is going to get exported,” Wyden said after a Senate...
Sand dunes, coral reefs protect coasts against climate change
Posted by Hill: Zack Colman on July 16th, 2013
Hill: Protecting sand dunes and coral reefs can help defend the United States’s coasts against costly extreme-weather events linked to climate change, according to a new study.
Maintaining coastal habitats could halve the people, low-income families, the elderly and total value of residential property most exposed to rising sea levels, floods and storms associated with climate change, the study concluded.
“Extreme weather, sea-level rise and degraded coastal ecosystems are placing people and property...