Yesterday, the
possibility that a Keystone XL pipeline approval decision was going to be delayed was raised by a Reuters
report stating that State Department sources said they were considering delaying a decision while looking a different routes for the pipeline.
A decision to consider an alternative route would require an environmental impact study on the new segment of the pipeline, the official said. Such a move could delay a final decision on whether to go forward on the pipeline.
The State Department said last week that it still hoped to make a decision by the end of the year, but did not rule out delaying the decision if necessary.
Apparently, that delay is happening.
The Obama administration is preparing to delay a decision on the contested Keystone XL pipeline while it studies an alternate route, effectively pushing any action past the 2012 election, officials and lobbyists who have been briefed on the matter said on Thursday. An announcement is expected as early as this afternoon. [...]
The administration in recent days has been exploring ways to put off the decision until after the 2012 election, fearing further alienation of environmental and health advocates who consider the pipeline decision a test of the Obama administration’s commitment to clean energy and air quality.[...]
Larry Schweiger, president the National Wildlife Federation, one of many environmental groups opposed to the pipeline project, said Thursday that White House officials had indicated to his organization that a decision to delay the plan for 12 to 18 months was imminent.
"The way I understand it, the process will be altered and altered to make sure all of our concerns are considered," he said.
This should be considered a limited victory for the well-organized and very effective continued opposition to the project by environmental groups. The White House and State Department had stacked the deck in favor of the pipeline, and the opposition succeeded in putting the brakes on it. A delay helps the opposition continue to educate the public and press for a real environmental impact study on the pipeline, and gives more time to mobilize citizens in opposition in other states that are in the potential path of the pipeline. It also allows President Obama to avoid making a decision that would anger the base before the election.
However, pushing the decision off until after the election means that it could be made without having to be concerned about the next election, which doesn't necessarily bode well for stopping the project entirely.
There's more discussion in RLMiller's diary.