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Today, Friends of the Earth released a shocking expose of the State Departments handling of the Keystone XL pipeline’s environmental review.
We discovered that the company hired by the State Department to conduct the environmental review for this risky pipeline has done extensive work for TransCanada and the many oil companies that stand to benefit if the pipeline is built. Making matters worse, the firm, Environmental Resources Management, lied on its federal conflict of interest disclosure forms when it declared it had no such ties.
Where does this leave the Keystone XL review? Its now time for Secretary of State John Kerry to determine how a firm with financial ties to TransCanada and the oil industry was allowed to write the governments environmental impact statement, and why the State Department never investigated the companys claims to have no such ties. Only then can we have a fair and accurate assessment.
Tell Secretary of State John Kerry that its time to cancel ERMs contract and halt the Keystone review until it can be done fairly and without the influence of Big Oil.
This is not the first time the State Departments botched handling of the Keystone XL environmental review has been in the news. In March, Mother Jones revealed that the State Department had tried to conceal the fact that some of the consultants who wrote the report had worked for TransCanada.
Now, with todays conflict of interest revelation, its clear that the Keystone review has been hopelessly compromised by the oil industry. The United States simply cannot afford to let Big Oil set its climate policy through shady deals and cover-ups.
Join us in calling on John Kerry to halt the Keystone review and launch an investigation immediately into this corruption of the environmental review process.
Since TransCanada first applied for a presidential permit in 2008, the State Department has acted like the oil industrys best friend, willing to sneak a thumb onto the scales to benefit Big Oil. We need your help to bring transparency and an end to these backroom deals.
Tell John Kerry, no more cover-ups. Halt the Keystone XL review now.
Standing with you,
Ross Hammond,
Senior campaigner,
Friends of the Earth