On May 4, 2012, the Department of State received an application from TransCanada Corp. for a proposed pipeline that would run from the Canadian border to connect to a pipeline in Steele City, Nebraska. The new application includes proposed new routes through the state of Nebraska.
The Department’s responsibility, under Executive Order 13337, is to determine if granting a permit for the proposed pipeline would serve the national interest. The Department is considering this new application on its merits. Consistent with the Executive Order, this involves consideration of many factors, including energy security, health, environmental, cultural, economic, and foreign policy concerns.
UPDATE
The Department of State issued an Errata Sheet on June 6, 2014 for the Keystone XL Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
The Federal Register Notice published on February 5, 2014 invited members of the public to comment on any factor they deemed relevant to the national interest determination that will be made for the Presidential Permit application. The 30-day public comment period closed on March 7, 2014. The Department is reviewing and appropriately considering the more than 2.5 million public comments it received during the comment period. Public comments are posted at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: DOS-2014-0003.
The Department continues to review the Presidential Permit application for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in a rigorous, transparent, and objective manner.
The Presidential Permit review process focuses on whether the proposed Project serves the national interest, which involves consideration of many factors including: energy security; environmental, cultural, and economic impacts; foreign policy; and compliance with relevant federal regulations and issues. During this time, the Department will consult with, at least, the eight agencies identified in Executive Order 13337: the Departments of Defense, Justice, Interior, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency.