News bites: Interior pick’s green thoughts, what’s next for Keystone XL, and more

Reuters explores how green groups will seek to delay a decision on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Bloomberg reports on Sally Jewell, the White House nominee for Interior secretary.

Their story looks at a presentation the REI president gave last June for signs of her views on managing federal lands. From Bloomberg:

Selling fleece jackets, fishing poles, skis and kayaks – REI’s business – is a $646 billion industry, making it a bigger part of the U.S. economy than manufacturing pharmaceuticals or refining gasoline, according to an industry report Jewell highlighted that day.

Now Jewell, a 57-year-old company executive, is President Barack Obama’s pick for Interior secretary, and her advocacy has won her support from wildlife and environmental groups – and cautious questions from backers of expanded oil drilling on federal lands.

Scientific American unwraps new research about the effects of climate change on global shipping, which finds that melting Arctic sea ice “could lead to ships traversing the ice-free Northwest Passage (NWP) by 2050.”

“It would also lead to much shorter transit times through the existing North Sea Passage (NSR). These developments may greatly reduce the time and cost of shipping but would also lead to unforeseen economic and geopolitical complications,” their story states.

Bloomberg looks at efforts to secure Libya’s oil infrastructure.