State Dept. Inspector General To Investigate Whether Laws Broken In Keystone Pipeline Review Process

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department's inspector general has ordered a special review of the Obama administration's handling of Calgary-based TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone XL pipeline proposal after complaints from members of Congress that the process has been tainted by conflicts of interest.

In a letter released Monday, the inspector general's office said it would examine whether there had been any breach of "federal laws and regulations" in the State Department's handling of its environmental-impact study of the pipeline.

The news came a day after an estimated 10,000 pipeline opponents protested at the White House, urging President Barack Obama to deny TransCanada a permit to build the 2,700-kilometre oilsands pipeline.

"I once again urge President Obama to defer any decision on the pipeline until the State Department investigation has been completed," said Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who joined a dozen other lawmakers in seeking the investigation.

read: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Special+review+ordered+into+Keystone+pipeline+project/5669715/story.html


“The primary objective of the review is to determine to what extent the Department and all other parties involved complied with federal laws and regulations relating to the Keystone XL pipeline permit process,” the memo states.

“I appreciate the inspector general’s responsiveness to our request and the willingness to treat this important matter, and the allegations of conflicts of interest, with the seriousness it deserves. This is a critically important issue for our environment and the energy future of our country,” Sen. Sanders said in a statement Monday.

The State Department has defended its review of the proposed pipeline against allegations of bias and conflict of interest. In particular, it has defended use of the firm Cardno Entrix to conduct a key environmental review despite the firm’s ties to TransCanada.

But Sanders, in his statement, said “At a time when all credible scientific evidence and opinion indicate that we are losing the battle against global warming, it is imperative that we have objective environmental assessments of major carbon-dependent energy projects.”

read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/192145-state-dept-inspector-general-to-review-keystone-pipeline-review