Keystone XL Pipeline Stymied....For Now

A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has ordered the State Department to conduct a more in-depth review of an alternative route for the Keystone XL pipeline, after Nebraska state regulators altered the original route. The revised Environmental Impact Study, which would be subject to public comment, could delay the pipeline's construction significantly, although an appeal by the pipeline company is expected. Climate change denier and demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump approved the permit for the pipeline in the spring of 2017, only weeks before withdrawing from the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The pipeline crosses 1,184 miles of land, including major rivers like the Yellowstone, the Little Missouri, and the Platte, passing over the huge Oglala Aquifer. The crude oil it carries -- from Canadian tar sands -- is the dirtiest type fossil fuel that, if the pipeline is breached, would cause immense harm to the environment and water supply. Contrary to the impression fostered by supporters of Keystone XL, the crude would be delivered to refineries along the Gulf Coast, and after processing, be delivered to the global spot oil market, not cycled back into the U.S.