U.S. Report Approves of Massive Oil Sands Pipeline

A study commissioned by the Obama administration has found that a pipeline from Alberta to Texas could eliminate U.S. dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Canadian oil executives are licking their lips today at news that a U.S. Energy Department report has given a hearty endorsement for the Keystone XL pipeline project. The proposed pipeline will cost $7 billion and stretch 3,000 km from the Alberta oil sands to Texas, and the report found it would “essentially eliminate” the U.S. need to import oil from the Middle East. It’s the strongest signal that the plan could go ahead since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed off of an earlier statement that she was inclined to approve the project. The pipeline is not without its detractors however, and both environmentalists and politicians have said it is an environmental disaster waiting to happen.