Kerry will not rush pipeline decision

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he’s awaiting a final environmental report before making a decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline project. The pipeline would carry heavy crude from Alberta’s oil sands to Texas refineries.

Kerry said there are still a lot of questions about the 1,700-mile pipeline proposed by Calgary-based TransCanada.

Minister of State John Baird: “We hope the final State Department report is out in short order and that the administration will be in a position to make a positive decision. This is a great project for the future economic prosperity of Canada. It’s a great project; it’ll create a lot of jobs here in the United States. It’s a great project which will increase the energy security of our closest friend and ally.”

Sec. Of State John Kerry: “I can promise our friends in Canada that, you know, all the appropriate effort has been put into trying to get this done effectively and rapidly. And you know, my hope is that before long, that analysis will be available. And then my work begins.”

Environmentalists who oppose the pipeline say The oil it will carry requires huge amounts of energy and water to extract and that producing and refining it would generate a large amount of damaging emissions in the process. They’re also concerned about the possibility oil spills.