Groups Against Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Sue To Block Construction

WASHINGTON -- Environmental groups filed suit against the Obama administration on Wednesday, alleging that U.S. federal officials illegally allowed work on the Keystone XL oil pipeline to begin before the proposed project had been approved.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth and the Western Nebraska Resources Council sued the State Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday for violating the National Environmental Policy Act by allegedly allowing construction of the pipeline to begin in Nebraska.

“It’s outrageous that TransCanada is already clearing the way for the Keystone XL pipeline before the public has had a chance to have its say and, indeed, before federal agencies have even said it can be built,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “It looks like the fix is in on this dangerous project, and the sham public process is nothing more than an afterthought.”

The lawsuit marks the most recent development in a larger fight over the construction of the controversial pipeline, which would carry crude oil from Alberta's tar sands roughly 1,700 miles -- across the Ogallala Aquifer and Sandhills of Nebraska -- to oil refineries along the Texas Gulf Cost.

The State Department, which has purview over any infrastructure projects that cross an American border, completed its final environmental assessment in August, and is currently sponsoring a round of public hearings in states along the proposed route of the oil pipeline. The last hearing will take place in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 7.

"Quietly, the State Department and Fish and Wildlife Service have allowed TransCanada to mow a pipeline corridor through about 100 miles of native prairie grasslands in Nebraska’s Sandhills and to remove endangered species living in the corridor," wrote the groups in the Wednesday statement.

When asked by HuffPost whether the State Department could be held accountable for TransCanada beginning work on the pipeline, Greenwald said government officials had given at least "passive" consent.

Indeed the construction was no secret. As HuffPost's Tom Zeller reported from Atkinson, Neb. last week:

TransCanada long ago issued orders for pipeline and other equipment -- rolling the dice in anticipation of approval. Some of that material has already been delivered, and preliminary work is already being done at the Hardisty Terminal in Alberta.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A final decision from the Obama administration on whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline is expected before the end of the year.

Comments

[cagog]

04:24 PM on 10/10/2011

I wonder why is canada is letting the U.S to do this. Like i said Oil causes destruction.

[Insightful]

04:11 PM on 10/07/2011

Why can't they build their pipeline on their own soil? The intention is to ship from it through our ports. It will NOT benefit us in any way.

[wheatsavage]

11:03 AM on 10/07/2011

Why build the pipeline? Let them Canucks build their own refinery and keep it all in Canada. Oh -maybe because Canada will tax the hell out of it and the Oil Companies will get more profit processing it here in the US?

[RONALD MCKENZIE]

09:41 AM on 10/07/2011

I think we'll see how owns the judges?

[bidensaidwhat]

02:42 PM on 10/06/2011

yeah..... that will add jobs

[DanoX]

06:01 AM on 10/06/2011

It took a lot of petroleum to make that big plastic inflatable tube they're carrying. Just saying.

[BluePhantom2]

10:11 PM on 10/05/2011

So this is where the nuts are when not posting about Wall street being occupied! Get a grip folks do you want to send our $$$ to the Saudis or the Canadians? It's not much of a leap because we are going to buy oil from somebody. The left/enviro-nuts are investing way too much time and effort against something that Obama is going to sign. It's election season and he has to have something to point at regarding progress towards saving the economy.

[Always Thinkin]

01:12 AM on 10/06/2011

I think the better question is do you wanna risk our largest aquifer for agriculture to oil spills are not?

[oneeasyrider]

02:34 AM on 10/06/2011

Obviously, Fox validates your dystopian view. Fortunately, Fox only has a puny 3 million viewer audience -- likewise, you are no more impressive than a child who can't pass a basic biology class. Ignorance is not a virtue.

[BluePhantom2]

09:24 PM on 10/07/2011

Fox who? You mean Fox Pivens? Actually its basic economics not biology but thanks for the rant!

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

10:04 PM on 10/05/2011

There seems to be a clear division here between those who desire short-term profits regardless of long'term cost. and those who think the long term degradation of the environment is too high a price to pay for enriching the already wealthy people who own oil company stock. What surprises me is that the people who are willing to destroy the heartland of this nation in order to enrich foreign companies don't seem to own stock in those companies. They are therefore opposing their own economic interests as well as their own environmental interests. I find this kind of self-destructive thinking incomprehensible. Apparently they deeply desire that the rich should continue to get richer, even at the expense of their own well-being, and that of their descendants.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

09:11 PM on 10/05/2011

The biggest threat to our nation, our economy and our future are so-called environmentalists.

[Always Thinkin]

01:13 AM on 10/06/2011

So called because they try to protect the environment. That's why they call them that see.

[cagog]

06:50 PM on 10/05/2011

Why are we still using oil is beyond me, Oil cause wars, oil cause enviromental damage, oil cause more greedy rich people hogging all the money, we need to get rid of it, and soon oil will be the downfall of the United States.

[energydem]

08:10 PM on 10/05/2011

Do you drive a car? Fly in a plane? I think we need to get off oil but this will be a long transition and this fact should not be "beyond you." You should be less concerned about this stupid pipeline and far more concerned about the carbon intensity of the tar sands. I heard a lecture today -- under BAU, we will hit 750 ppm by mid-century at which point we will likely figure out what killed the dinosaurs. Get serious people, stop the juvenile antics and let's roll up our sleeves and really figure out how to prioritize our actions to dramatically and immediately diminish CO2 emissions. Because of our singular reliance on oil as a transportation fuel, we cannot immediately affect emissions in the transportation sector, we need to look at power generation and buildings and develop and achievable glide path. This is doing little to help and may be counterproductive.

[energydem]

08:13 PM on 10/05/2011

PS. We can also immediately improve vehicle efficiency. Three mpg increase in the average mileage of the passenger fleet saves one million barrels of oil per day.

[ianhannon]

09:13 PM on 10/05/2011

Your comments are absolutly right! The opposition against this pipeline is a waste of time. The Tar Sands themselves are the real problem. Not only do we need to use our collective energy to figure out how to wean ourselves from oil based transportation, but almost everything we do is oil based. Cement Production, Pharma, the whole Plastics Industrial System are oil based. We need to find ways around these products or as you say we will see the start of the return of the Younger Drayes and what killed off the dinosaurs!

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

09:11 PM on 10/05/2011

Wars, greed and environmental damage were around long before oil was discovered. Get a life.

[Samuel Huntington]

06:40 PM on 10/05/2011

This is a good example of why we are going down the tubes economically and there are no jobs.

Allowing a handful of NIMBYs and "activists" to stop potentially the most strategically important projects in terms of economics, jobs, and foreign relations, would be the most short sighted-self imposed disasters--possibly ever in history.

The Keystone XL is the start of the US and Canada becoming the OPEC of the next two centuries. It will be a big start in reducing and turning around the US balance of trade. It will reduce the power that China and the Middle East dictatorships have over us economically and politically. It is the start of a good and well paying jobs program that works.

Otherwise we can listen to the protestors, spreading not in my backyard drivel. Continue to stop oil exploration and development to increase the power of middle eastern and russian dictators over our economy. Continue to invest in high, unreliable solar and wind, and find ourselves poorer and controlled by foreign potentates.

All for a discredited theory of "man made" global warming and NIMBY'ism. That even if correct, is unpreventable at any price.

Lets get America and Canada working. Lets be the next OPEC, Lets invest in energy that works and that wont go bankrupt in less than one year on a failed business model rewarding campaign contributors and insiders while squandering the public's money.

[oneeasyrider]

02:25 AM on 10/06/2011

Sure, we could do as you suggest: we could ignore global temp rose 1.3F last century and will rise 4F by 2060. We could ignore current available solar tech which could be mounted on every roof (already being expedited in Germany), or we could ignore electric cars now available and could be charged with same solar tech and produce no CO2.

Then again, why use our brains to solve any problems? When we could just allow the pipeline and create new problems.

[kkalmes]

05:43 PM on 10/05/2011

“It’s outrageous that TransCanada is already clearing the way for the Keystone XL pipeline before the public has had a chance to have its say and, indeed, before federal agencies have even said it can be built,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.

I love the brilliance of the American spirit... a NationTogether is a mighty force for good!

[Samuel Huntington]

06:53 PM on 10/05/2011

Progress marches on and waits for no man.

All the endangered species acts, ecologists, and biologists and unnamed bureaucrats cannot stop this strategically indispensable project and march towards energy independence.

We are the next OPEC. Canada and the US have reserves of tar sands, shale and coal for gasification that can power the world for centuries using technology and distribution systems that we have made massive investment in over the past century.

In one fell swoop, we can break the power of middle eastern and russian dictators. Reduce the strategic importance of the middle east and potential for armed conflict there, due to national interest. We can reduce and eventually eliminate our balance of trade-reducing the power of the Chinese Communist govt PRC over our country and lives. Generate good paying manufacturing type jobs in petrochemicals in the US. Etc Etc Etc.

If we dont do it, eventually the Chinese and others will buy the resources and we will be the hired hand on our now defunct family farm..due to our own mismanagement in going into such amount of debt to them that we sold out.

Or you could listen to a bunch of protestors that would have you go down the road to inflation and bondage to foreign potentates. Your choice. I know how I am going to choose.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

09:12 PM on 10/05/2011

eff the "public"

[sfbbmom]

04:15 PM on 10/05/2011

Why is "green" under politics?? It does not belong here.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

09:12 PM on 10/05/2011

Actually it does, it is the latest guise of Communism.

[Always Thinkin]

01:16 AM on 10/06/2011

The last guise, a banana, was too easy to spot.

[wonderYrednow]

01:22 AM on 10/06/2011

'You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.'

1 d 1 0 t !

[Motherbro1]

03:41 PM on 10/05/2011

I just have to guess these protesters walked or rode their bikes to the protest? Are we supposed to wait until the overseas oil gets turned off. Pipelines of all kinds crisscross the country now, oil, natural gas jet fuel...

[FullFrontal]

02:52 PM on 10/05/2011

i don't agree with the pipeline at all. but even if i did, what would make me disapprove of it is the fact that they didn't build a refinery closer to or in canada. the pipeline crossing ALL of the US to TX is a big NO NO to anyone with common sense and even a small love for the environment

[azmildman]

06:46 PM on 10/05/2011

When the fuel distribution is already built in Texas and the oil companies control distribution, where did you think the pipeline would be directed to? Did you think they are going to reinvent the wheel to build new refineries in the backyards of people who aren't used to the oil industry the way Texas has been for as long as they have been producing oil derricks there.? This is a smoke screen to get us diverted from the fact that the oil industry is trying to hijack all green energy projects to continue raping us with. Why should BP be in charge of the production of ethanol or solar energy or wind turbines. The same people who have been screwing us on oil prices are now taking over alternative fuels and energy. There is something seriously backwards in this process. THAT is the cronyism that needs to be addressed in CONGRESS where they approve measures like that, not at the White House. What should be obvious to the public by now, The Democrat Black Man in the White House is NOT getting cooperation from the Republicans playing politics in congress where they make the laws. Cars were originally made to run on alcohol, self sustaining alcohol doesn't require drilling, the distillation process can be done on a HUGE basis, without need for foreign manufacturers and we are still insisting on PETROLEUM industry products from the same people who have been systematically raping the United States for decades.

[ianhannon]

09:19 PM on 10/05/2011

Good point about cars originally running on alcohol! Most of Brazils cars run on alcohol disitlled from sugar cane. If they can do it so can we!