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Clinton vows robust safety standards if Canadian oil-sands pipeline approved
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that a controversial proposed pipeline to bring Canadian oil sands to Gulf Coast refineries, if approved, will operate under tougher safety standards than the law requires.
Clinton addressed TransCanada’s planned $7 billion, 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline — which is under State Department review — after a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird in Washington, D.C.
Clinton noted that “we’ve been clear from the beginning that the safety of the pipeline is one of our highest priorities,” and cited the State Department’s consultations with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department’s pipeline safety branch.
Republicans and business groups — including the powerful U.S. Chamber of Commerce — are pushing for approval of the pipeline that would expand oil-sands imports, arguing it’s a vital way to boost U.S. energy security and create jobs.
But the State Department’s looming decision on the project to bring oil sands from Alberta, Canada, to Texas is facing strong opposition from environmentalists, who say spills are a major risk.
Environmental groups also oppose the greenhouse-gas-intensive oil-sands projects.
The State Department plans to issue a final environmental impact statement on the pipeline later this month, and will hold public meetings in September along the proposed pipeline route in Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas.
The department plans to make a final decision on the project by the end of the year, a timeline that Clinton reiterated in her remarks Thursday.
“We are leaving no stone unturned in this process,” Clinton said.
The House in July approved GOP-backed legislation — with 47 Democratic votes — that would require a final decision by Nov. 1, but the measure is not expected to advance in the Senate.
