As House Republicans turn to legislation to help press for a quick Obama administration ruling on a controversial U.S.-Canada oil pipeline, more than 30 environmental groups opposed to the project today looked to U.S. EPA chief Lisa Jackson for a helping hand.

In a letter to Jackson, the green groups asked for EPA to step in for a second time to require a stronger State Department environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline. EPA rapped State's first review of the $7 billion project, released last year, saying the report included "inadequate information" on the pipeline's emissions and wildlife impacts, helping make the case for a second assessment that came out last month (ClimateWire, July 22, 2010).

But critics of the pipeline were not satisfied with that supplemental review -- making a thumbs down from EPA a potentially valuable tool to slow the review process for the pipeline. Keystone XL is rising to the top of the House GOP's energy agenda this month, with committee consideration of a bill that would require the administration to make a decision on the pipeline by Nov. 1 (E&E Daily, May 24).

"We ask for your continued support in holding the State Department to a thorough assessment of the environmental impacts of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline," the 30-plus advocacy groups, including some non-environmental players such as the Nebraska Farmers Union, wrote in their letter to Jackson.

Arguing that the most recent supplemental review from State "gives superficial treatment to or dismisses the issues" singled out by EPA in its 2010 critique of the first assessment, the groups added: "[W]e believe that the EPA has little choice but to issue a Category 3 [inadequate] rating to this [supplemental review] and ask that a new [one] be generated."

Supporters of Keystone XL on Capitol Hill and in industry dismiss such contentions that the pipeline's environmental effects need further study. At yesterday's hearing of the House Energy and Commerce subpanel in charge of the pipeline-permitting acceleration bill, Republicans touted the twin environmental reviews already completed for the 1,700-mile project.

"[I]t's been with the State Department for three years," Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.), sponsor of the Keystone XL bill, said yesterday. "[W]e think all of the information has already been provided to the appropriate parties, and it's time that we have a decision."

An EPA spokesman said today that the agency is reviewing the letter.

Click here to read the letter from the 30 green groups.