The U.S. State Department gave a vote of confidence to the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, saying in a report that it has no major environmental objections to the construction of the megaproject.
The report says development of the massive pipeline to move oil from Alberta to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast won't significantly increase the rate of oil extraction and release an unacceptable level of greenhouse gases.
That had been a key hurdle standing in the way of the project's approval. Calgary-based TransCanada has been seeking approval for the 1,800-kilometre, $7-billion project for several years.
Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver welcomed the report's findings and said he hoped for a speedy approval of the project.
more
Keystone XL gets environmental OK from U.S. State Dept. - Business - CBC News
Related:
Without Keystone, oil trains may cause six deaths per year: U.S. State Department report
(Reuters) - Replacing the Keystone XL pipeline with oil-laden freight trains from Canada may result in an average of six additional rail-related deaths per year, according to a U.S. State Department report that is adding to pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the line.
The long-awaited study, released on Friday, focused on the environmental impact of TransCanada's $5.4 billion pipeline, but also spent several pages analyzing the potential human impact of various ways to transport oil, using historical injury and fatality statistics for railways and oil pipelines.
Although it excluded the runaway oil train derailment that killed 47 people in Lac Megantic, Quebec, last summer, the tragedy that first shone a critical light on the rapidly expanding trend in shipping crude by rail, the findings highlight the risks or railway transport versus pipes.
Shipping another 830,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude "would result in an estimated 49 additional injuries and six additional fatalities for the No Action rail scenarios compared to one additional injury and no fatalities" per year if Keystone XL is built, according to the report.
more
Without Keystone, oil trains may cause six deaths per year: U.S. State Department report | Reuters
The report says development of the massive pipeline to move oil from Alberta to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast won't significantly increase the rate of oil extraction and release an unacceptable level of greenhouse gases.
That had been a key hurdle standing in the way of the project's approval. Calgary-based TransCanada has been seeking approval for the 1,800-kilometre, $7-billion project for several years.
Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver welcomed the report's findings and said he hoped for a speedy approval of the project.
more
Keystone XL gets environmental OK from U.S. State Dept. - Business - CBC News
Related:
Without Keystone, oil trains may cause six deaths per year: U.S. State Department report
(Reuters) - Replacing the Keystone XL pipeline with oil-laden freight trains from Canada may result in an average of six additional rail-related deaths per year, according to a U.S. State Department report that is adding to pressure for President Barack Obama to approve the line.
The long-awaited study, released on Friday, focused on the environmental impact of TransCanada's $5.4 billion pipeline, but also spent several pages analyzing the potential human impact of various ways to transport oil, using historical injury and fatality statistics for railways and oil pipelines.
Although it excluded the runaway oil train derailment that killed 47 people in Lac Megantic, Quebec, last summer, the tragedy that first shone a critical light on the rapidly expanding trend in shipping crude by rail, the findings highlight the risks or railway transport versus pipes.
Shipping another 830,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude "would result in an estimated 49 additional injuries and six additional fatalities for the No Action rail scenarios compared to one additional injury and no fatalities" per year if Keystone XL is built, according to the report.
more
Without Keystone, oil trains may cause six deaths per year: U.S. State Department report | Reuters
