美國暫停審覈加美輸油管線大綱
The Canadian company behind a proposed pipeline that will carry oil from Canada to the United States has asked the U.S. State Department to suspend its review of the controversial project.
TransCanada announced Monday that it had sent a letter to U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry to halt the review of Keystone XL due to an ongoing regulatory process in the midwestern state of Nebraska, the end point of the 1,900 kilometer pipeline. The company says it could take as long as a year before Nebraska authorities finish their review of the pipeline's route.
The $8 billion proposed pipeline has been under State Department review since TransCanada applied for permission in 2008. If Kerry agrees to TransCanada's request, it could delay a final decision until after President Barack Obama leaves office in January 2017.
Keystone XL would transport more than 800,000 barrels of oil from the tar sands of Alberta across Montana and South Dakota to southern Nebraska, and from there connect to existing pipelines to carry the oil to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The project has put Obama in the political crosshairs between environmentalists who claim the project will worsen the impact of climate change and supporters who say it will bring needed jobs and boost the nation's energy independence.
A cross section of environmental activists issued a flood of statements accusing TransCanada of biding its time until after the 2016 presidential elections, in hopes a more supportive administration succeeds Obama in the White House.
"In defeat, TransCanada is asking for extra time from the referees, and clearly hoping they’ll get a new head official after the election," said Bill McKibben, founder of the online group . "It’s time for the current umpire, President Obama, to reject this project once and for all."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Monday that the president intends to make a final decision on Keystone XL before he leaves office.提出建設將加拿大石油輸送到美國的輸油管線的加拿大公司要求美國國務院暫停審覈這個有爭議的建設項目。
TransCanada公司星期一宣佈已經致函美國國務卿克里，要求暫停審覈Keystone XL輸油管線的申請，理由是擬議中的輸油管線終點內布拉斯加州管理當局正在進行審議。該輸油管線長達1900公里。該公司表示，內布拉斯加州當局可能需要長達1年的時間才能完成其審覈。
TransCanada公司2008年提出建設申請以來，美國國務院一直在審覈這項將耗資80億美元的輸油管線建設計劃。如果克里國務卿同意該公司的請求，有關的最後決定就可能推遲到奧巴馬總統在2017年1月離任之後。
Keystone XL輸油管線建成之後將每天把80萬多桶從加拿大阿爾伯塔省油砂中提煉的石油輸送到內布拉斯加州，其間穿過蒙大拿州和南達科他州，然後通過現有的輸油管送到美國墨西哥灣的煉油廠。
這一建設項目使奧巴馬在環保主義者和建設項目支持者之間左右爲難。環保主義者聲言，這一項目將使氣候變暖的形勢更加惡化。而支持者則說，這一建設項目將給美國帶來迫切需要的就業，還能加強美國的能源自給。
許多環保活動人士發出許多聲明，指責TransCanada公司試圖拖延時間，把建設審覈拖延到2016年總統選舉之後，以便獲得奧巴馬的繼任者政府的更多支持。
網絡環保組織的創始人麥克基本說，“面對失敗，TransCanada公司要求延長時間，顯然是希望在美國大選之後有一個新總統。目前是現任的裁判奧巴馬總統徹底否決這一建設項目的時候了。”
白宮發言人歐內斯特星期一對記者說，奧巴馬總統打算在卸任之前對Keystone XL輸油管線建設問題作出最終決定。
