Cohen Initiative Leads to Special Inquiry of State Department's Handling of Keystone XL Pipeline

[kpete]

Cohen Initiative Leads to Special Inquiry of State Department's Handling of Keystone XL Pipeline
Monday, 07 November 2011
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today released a letter he received from the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of State informing the Congressman that the federal office will conduct a special review of the State Department’s handling of the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit Process.

“Given the significant economic, environmental, and public health implications of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the American people deserve an accurate, unbiased review,” said Congressman Cohen, who was the only member of Congress to attend yesterday’s anti-Keystone rally outside the White House. “The recent allegations of corruption and conflicts of interest are disconcerting, and I appreciate that the Office of Inspector General is investigating the State Department’s review process. As stated in a previous letter to the President, I ask that he withhold any final decision on the pipeline until the investigation is complete.”

On October 26, Congressman Cohen, Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spearheaded a letter requesting that the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of State launch an investigation into the State Department’s handling of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and National Interest Determination (NID) for TransCanada Corporation’s proposed Keystone XL Pipeline.

Over the last several weeks, there have been a number of high-profile articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Huffington Post alleging that the State Department has mishandled the evaluation of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. These reports indicate that there have been significant conflicts of interest involved in the review

http://cohen.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1679

[indepat]

1. Congressman Cohen: one of the few bright spots in Congress

:patriot: