Washington, D.C. — Today, the State Department released an environmental impact study on the Keystone XL pipeline project, which would transport crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf Coast. This report is just one step in the approval process of the Keystone XL pipeline. After comment and review the president will make a final decision. Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
This environmental impact study—which ignores the evidence gathered in the past year that indicates the pipeline will increase our level of emissions—is by no means the final word on the Keystone XL pipeline. Even the State Department has determined that the pipeline will create less than 4,000 temporary jobs and only 35 permanent jobs. The fleeting boost in construction jobs is certainly not worth the impact that it would have on our climate and the risks of oil leaks that would damage our environment and health. Since we know this pipeline will significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution, I hope that President Obama will hold firm on the commitment he made in his climate speech and reject the pipeline.
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