U.S. District Judge Brian Morris has ruled that the environmental analysis done for the Keystone XL pipeline was insufficient in addressing the impact on Native American land resources and the impact on overall greenhouse gas emissions that the dirty crude carried in the pipeline would have. The State Department which oversaw the preparation of the environmental analysis will have to either appeal the ruling, or to address the court's concerns in a new environmental analysis.
The pipeline was a big feature of demagogue and sociopath Donald "Rump" Trump's carbon-heavy energy "policy," a policy which is little more than a payoff to his fossil fuel donors. although the pipeline would carry Canadian crude oil from shale to connect with the main pipeline to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The refineries would then process the crude for sale on the international spot market, and not directly for U.S. consumer use.
Rump lashed out at the judge, calling the ruling "a political decision made by a judge." Of course if he had his way, the Federal judiciary would be little more than a rubber stamp for him, not that he isn't working in that direction.
(photo: AP)
