Recent signals from the White House suggest President Obama could end more than four years of wrangling over the Keystone XL pipeline as early as this summer. But while issuing permits for the project would be a consequential event, its political implications might be surprisingly few.
House proponents of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline yesterday floated legislation aimed at forcing its approval and limiting lawsuits that could delay it. The bill from Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and others would eliminate the requirement that Keystone receive a presidential permit before construction could begin on its northern leg; it also would limit the ability of pipeline opponents to file lawsuits seeking to block the project and would deem its existing reviews sufficient to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws.
