Canadian pipeline to Texas on hold until 2013

Citing environmental fears, the State Department on Thursday ordered a new review of a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, effectively delaying a final decision until after the 2012 elections and prompting a wave of criticism from businesses, unions and congressional Republicans, who called the move a “job killer.” The State Department instructed thatTransCanada’s planned Keystone XL pipeline be moved yet again, saying the current route could destroy Nebraska’s sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies water for much of the Midwest. The needed environmental reviews and approval processes for any new route for the pipeline will put off final approval for the project until at least early 2013. “I support the State Department’s announcement today regarding the need to seek additional information about the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal,” President Obama said in a statement. The result of the delay, which puts off a decision on a matter that pits Mr. Obama’s environmentalist backers, who call the pipeline dangerous, against his union supporters, who say the nation needs these jobs immediately, prompted suspicion from Republicans on Capitol Hill...more