WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Representative Henry A. Waxman and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sent a letter to Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment, and Science at the State Department, urging the Department to correct significant mistakes in the analysis of the climate impacts of the Keystone XL pipeline. Rep. Waxman and Sen. Whitehouse write that the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement underestimates the costs of transporting the tar sands by rail and ignores the views of multiple market experts. They ask the State Department to develop the information needed to provide a “thorough, unbiased, and comprehensive” analysis of the pipeline’s impact on the climate.
“The President was absolutely right when he said that the pipeline will not be in our national interest if it has significant adverse impacts on the climate,” said Rep. Waxman. “I believe a rigorous analysis will show that the Keystone XL pipeline fails the test the President has set forth and must be denied.”
“The tar sands oil to be transported by the Keystone XL pipeline would wreak havoc on our climate by unleashing up to 22% more carbon pollution than average crude oil refined in the U.S.,” said Sen. Whitehouse. “With communities in Rhode Island and around the country already suffering from the effects of carbon pollution, we can’t afford to make things worse. I hope the Administration finds our comments constructive, and that it ultimately rejects the pipeline.”
The letter is available online here.
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