The U.S. State Department released its Final Environmental Impact Report regarding the Keystone XL pipeline on January 31 (see: http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/finalseis/index.htm), yet a date for the final decision is still unclear, and at the North American leaders summit in Mexico on February 18, President Obama rebuffed Prime Minister Harper’s attempts to elicit approval. On February 19th, a court in Nebraska ruled that a 2012 law did not give the governor the authority to approve the Keystone route through the state. As a result TransCanada would have to negotiate with each landowner directly to build the pipeline through that state. See: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/keystone-xl-access-through-nebraska-shut-down-by-judge-1.2543898.
In the U.S., Keystone continues to be a rallying point for environmental groups with an estimated 10,000 people attending anti-Keystone XL vigils in 280 locations across the U.S. shortly after the State Department release, and a planned “act of civil disobedience” announced by 350.org for Washington D.C. on March 2. Read the Inside Climate News report at: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20140210/environmental-movement-test-its-muscle-keystone-final-stretch.
“Keystone XL and the Tar Sands: Voices from the Front lines” (Feb. 4) at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/178224/keystone-xl-and-tar-sands-voices-front-lines, includes a profile of Alberta Chippewa activist Eriel Deranger and her comments to the Tar Sands Exposed Tour in Boston and outlines the Chippewa First Nations arguments and actions against Keystone XL.
According to an article at the Trade Unions for Energy Democracy website, five U.S. unions are on the record as opposing Keystone XL, while the Laborers’ International Union (LIUNA) and the AFL-CIO Building Trades support it. See “U.S. Unions Still Divided On Keystone XL Pipeline” at: http://energydemocracyinitiative.org/u-s-unions-still-divided-on-keystone-xl-pipeline/.
