Corker presses Kerry for hearing on ‘disturbing’ Keystone pipeline delay

The State Department, which gave the project a favorable environmental review in August, had earlier planned to make a permitting decision by the end of this year.

But the project faces strong opposition from environmentalists, while many unions support it, creating a tough political conundrum for the White House that the delay puts on ice until after the election (more on that here and here).

“The State Department has already conducted a thorough review of the environmental impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline, finding that it would have no significant impact on the environment,” Corker wrote. “I believe a greater threat to the environment would be to allow oil that would otherwise flow to the U.S. through the pipeline to be exported to countries with less efficient and less regulated industries and transportation systems.”

Kerry, before the delay, had vowed to leave “no question unanswered” about the pipeline, but did not say whether he planned to hold a hearing on the matter.