The United States will consider alternate routes for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, State Department officials announced today. The decision effectively delays any eventual approval for construction of an oil pipeline from Canada's tar sands to the Gulf coast until after the 2012 election. With environmentalists and Indigenous peoples protesting the pipeline, and Republicans eager to criticize him for not creating jobs if he nixes the project, President Obama played the delay card.
Cultural Survival celebrates this decision, and we thank all who sent messages to the president from our website's campaign page. We'll continue to follow developments and issue follow-up action alerts as needed to support Native American and First Nations communities that could be affected by pipeline construction along alternative routes.
For more information, please articles from:
Indigenous Enviromental Network
