The US state department has raised no major environmental objections to the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada, according to a new report.
Crucially, it found the proposed pipeline was unlikely to accelerate the pace of Canadian oil sands development.
But environmentalists say the pipeline would lead to increased carbon emissions, contribute to global warming, and risk spills on its route.
President Barack Obama has yet to decide whether he will permit it.
On Friday, a spokesman said the White House would await further review from other US government agencies and the public.
"The president has clearly stated that the project will be in the national interest only if it does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution," Matt Lehrich said.
In an environmental impact statement released on Friday, the US state department said that approval of the project "is unlikely to significantly impact the rate of extraction in the oil sands or the continued demand for heavy crude oil at refineries in the United States based on expected oil prices".
Political debateThe Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement is as dry as its name implies. An 11-volume tome which reaches no firm conclusions, it's being seized upon not so much for what it says as for what it doesn't say.
With a heavy dose of pragmatism, the report points out that oil reserves in this particular part of northern Alberta are likely to be developed whether the Keystone XL pipeline is approved or not. It makes the point that alternative methods of conveying oil from Canada to America's Gulf coast - for example by rail or barge - would probably have as great an impact on the environment as a pipe beneath the ground.
But it doesn't explicitly say that the long-delayed project would lead to an increase in greenhouse gases - and supporters are seizing on that as a sign that the Obama administration will eventually back it, despite the consternation that would cause among environmentalists.
The report does not directly recommend approval of the 1,408km (875 mile) pipeline, which would carry oil from the western Canadian tar sands region to Nebraska.
Rather, it is described as a technical assessment of the project's environmental impact.
If it is approved by the White House and permitted for construction, it would connect to already-built US pipelines to transport more than 830,000 barrels of crude oil daily to Texas refineries.
It would be built by TransCanada Corp, which first applied for a permit from the US government in 2008.
TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling said on Friday he was "very pleased" with the report's findings.
The project, estimated at $7bn (£4.26bn), has become a source of significant political debate, with environmental advocacy groups saying it would contribute to global warming and pleading with Mr Obama to block it.
Environmental groups say oil extracted from tar sands produces more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional crude oil and must be more extensively refined to be turned into fuel.
The pipeline would also threaten leaks and spills along its route through the US, its opponents say.
Meanwhile, the opposition Republicans have long supported the initiative, saying it would boost the US economy, create jobs, and reduce North America's dependence on foreign oil.
The approval process has been mired in Washington politics, with the Republicans aiming to force Mr Obama's hand.
"This report from the Obama administration once again confirms that there is no reason for the White House to continue stalling construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline," Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement. "So, Mr. President, no more stalling- no more excuses. Please pick up that pen you've been talking so much about and make this happen. Americans need these jobs."
The White House stalled the project in 2011 amid concerns it would damage the environment along the route, and Mr Obama has yet to endorse it.
The US state department approval is required for the initiative as the pipeline crosses the US border.
National interestNow, other US agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency have 90 days to comment before the state department issues its final recommendation to Mr Obama.
A decision is not expected for several months.
Environmental groups condemned the report.
The National Resources Defense Council said it was "absolutely not in our national interest" to allow its construction.
"Piping the dirtiest oil on the planet through the heart of America would endanger our farms, our communities, our fresh water and our climate," the council's international programme director, Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, said.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
'No objections' to Keystone pipeline
Dengan url
http://ukberbaginfo.blogspot.com/2014/02/no-objections-to-keystone-pipeline.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
'No objections' to Keystone pipeline
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
'No objections' to Keystone pipeline
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar