A presidential decision on TransCanada Corp.’s cross-border permit application for its proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline is not imminent, White House Press Sec. Josh Earnest said.
“This project continues to be under review by the State Department,” he told reporters during the daily press briefing en route to New Orleans on Aug. 27. “I’m not aware of any decision that the State Department has forwarded on to the White House. It’s my understanding that this review process is still ongoing, and I don’t have an update on timing at this point.”
He responded to a question stemming from a Financial Post of Canada article that morning that said US President Barack Obama was expected to finally deny the permit for the proposed pipeline from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Neb., by Labor Day.
Asked if he thought the story was wrong, Earnest said he would be reluctant to do that because he hadn’t seen it. “But I would say that the review is still ongoing at the State Department, and I don’t have an update in terms of when that review might be completed,” he said.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].