Blog 10: Obama Administration Again Delays Keystone XL Decision

Summary:
This article describes the Obama administration's most recent delay in the looming decision over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline proposal. A judge in a Nebraska state district court ruled that the path of the pipeline through Nebraska was unlawful, and as a result, the decision on the pipeline will have to be stalled for further review. The time for public comments has expired with over 2.5 million people commenting on the issue. However, the time period for agency comments has now been extended. Agencies will be able to comment until 14 days after a final decision on the Nebraska route has been made. If Nebraska decides to block the pipeline's route entirely, it will present a host of problems for the developers and the State Department. If Nebraska decides to allow the pipeline but at a different location, all analyses of the original State Dept. report on KXL will have to be redone.
Analysis:
I think that one way or another, the Obama administration will approve this pipeline. The article mentions that a decision will likely be made after the 2014 elections in November. Since the decision to approve this pipeline would be unpopular among Obama supporters and democrats in general, it makes sense to delay it. More and more opposition to the pipeline has been building up recently, with anti-KXL activists holding signs and waving banners at rallies across the country that say "We will dismantle the pipeline" or "I pledge to destroy the pipeline". This issue definitely has all the ingredients needed for the peaceful protests to turn violent. The article says environmental activists were enthused by the delay, but to me it seems very concerning. This administration has proven time and time again that it has no interest in the health of the environment and the strength of America's diverse ecosystems, so I think taking yet another delay is just more proof that the pipeline will be approved. If the administration were serious about climate change, they would reject this pipeline right now.

Link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/18/keystone-xl-obama_n_5175185.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green&utm_hp_ref=green