Obama speech interrupted by anti-Keystone hecklers

President Obama’s education speech took a slight detour into energy policy Wednesday when he was interrupted by critics of the Keystone XL pipeline.

During the speech at the University of Colorado in Denver, a handful of audience members called on Obama to block the controversial pipeline project, which is undergoing review at the State Department.

Obama stopped his speech and addressed the audience members’ concerns.

“All right. Thank you, guys,” he said. “We’re looking at it right now, all right? No decision has been made. And I know your deep concern about it. So we will address it.”

The audience members held a banner reading, "Stop the Keystone Pipeline Project.” They were escorted out of the room.

The outburst is the latest reminder of the politically thorny decision Obama faces on the $7 billion, 1,700-mile Keystone XL project, which would carry crude from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries in Texas.

Critics of the pipeline have mounted a vocal opposition campaign to the project. More than 1,200 people were arrested during a two-week protest outside the White House in September.

Environmental groups are planning a second high-profile protest outside the White House on Nov. 6.

Opponents raise concerns about the environmental impacts of the project, including greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands production and possible oil spills along the pipeline route.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen Capitol Hill Democrats asked the State Department’s inspector general Wednesday to probe whether the administration's review of the proposed pipeline has been tarred by conflicts of interest.

But Obama is also facing intense pressure from Republicans, the oil industry and some Democrats, who argue that the pipeline will boost the economy and create jobs.

The Obama administration is expected to make a final decision on the proposed pipeline by the end of the year. But Reuters reported Wednesday that the timeline could slip.