Saturday, November 6, 2010

Johanns Counters Latest Pipeline Claims

November 4, 2010 WASHINGTON Sen. Mike Johanns today sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton directly addressing statements opposing the consideration of additional alternative routes for the Keystone XL pipeline proposed by TransCanada Corporation. Johanns also reiterated his request for a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement. “TransCanada seems to be arguing that the shortest route is best, yet the route they propose is not the shortest route from the oil’s source to its destination, nor is it the shortest route through the U.S.,” said Johanns. “I find it striking that TransCanada contends the U.S. government should approve this route because it impacts fewer Canadian landowners and less Canadian land. The United States Department of State should examine the environmental impact in our country. The shortest route through the U.S. has not yet been examined and the State Department has an obligation to do so.” On November 3, 2010, TransCanada Corporation sent a letter to the State Department and issued a news release contending that because the proposed Keystone XL route is the shortest route, no further analysis is necessary under U.S. law. However, TransCanada fails to acknowledge that the proposed route impacts more U.S. land (and less Canadian land) than the existing Keystone pipeline. Because the proposed route is not the shortest route through the United States and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement concludes that the shortest route would “have the least overall environmental impact,” the State Department should be compelled to conduct a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement. A copy of the letter can be found here.

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