Kerry expects to receive other agencies’ Keystone XL reports soon

Feb. 2, 2015
US Sec. of State John F. Kerry said he expects to receive other federal agencies and departments’ reports soon on the proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline so the US Department of State can determine if it is in the national interest.

US Sec. of State John F. Kerry said he expects to receive other federal agencies and departments’ reports soon on the proposed Keystone XL crude oil pipeline so the US Department of State can determine if it is in the national interest.

“I think by this Monday, all the relevant agencies, per the president’s executive order, have to report in, and then we will analyze and address that information as appropriate,” he said on Jan. 31. “That’s what I intend to do.”

Kerry said DOS’s review of TransCanada Corp.’s application for a presidential crossborder permit is undergoing a rigorous and transparent review that is part of an established procedure. “The process needs to be honored, not circumvented, and that means that there has to be the thorough sort of process of determination,” he said.

His remarks came 2 days after the US Senate passed a bill approving Keystone XL which is generally similar to one the House adopted on Jan. 12 (OGJ Online, Jan. 30, 2015). US President Barack Obama has said he would veto such a measure if it reached his desk.

“All the agencies have to report back to us,” the secretary said during a press conference in Boston with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird and Mexican Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade. “At that point, it’s in our hands for me to make a recommendation to send to the president.”

Obama should move quickly and approve the Keystone XL project himself once Kerry submits his recommendation, American Petroleum Institute Pres. Jack N. Gerard said on Feb. 2.

“Congress is getting ready to send the president a bill to approve this pipeline,” he noted. “Instead of prepping his veto, he can now take sole possession of this decision and finally approve KXL on his own terms.”

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].