The New York Times published an article Monday reporting that TransCanada plans to reapply for a permit to construct Keystone XL. The company more or less promised that they plan to make Keystone XL a topic of political interest throughout the current presidential campaign. Keystone also announces, that although currently the pipeline is having difficulty being approved to be put in place across the entirety of the United States, they still plan to install a pipeline in Cushing Oklahoma by 2013 that will be a standalone project reaching to the Gulf. This southern pipeline, however, only transports domestic and not Canadian oil.
The current issue involving the implementation of the Keystone pipeline has to do with a large aquifer located in the state of Nebraska. TransCanada is supposedly pledging to work with the state of Nebraska to create a pipeline route that avoids the Nebraskan aquifer.
“We look forward to working with TransCanada to ensure that it is built in a safe, responsible and timely manner,” President Obama stated, “and we commit to take every step possible to expedite the necessary federal permits.”
TransCanada said it would reapply for a presidential permit for the cross-border part of the project and would slightly alter the pipeline’s route to avoid the most environmentally sensitive areas in Nebraska.
The article concludes with a well-put statement from Bill McKibben saying:
“Even though this doesn’t bring new oil in from the tar sands,” Mr. McKibben said, “we stand with our allies across the region who are fighting to keep giant multinational corporations from condemning their lands. This fight is uniting people, from environmentalists to Tea Partiers, in all kinds of ways.”
TransCanada's Current Keystone Pipeline Plan
