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Investor Tom Steyer urges Secretary Kerry to investigate Keystone XL environmental review
Investor Tom Steyer urges Secretary Kerry to investigate Keystone XL environmental review

This morning investor Tom Steyer sent a strongly worded letter to Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to conduct an independent and transparent review of the State Department’s handling of the Keystone XL environmental review, including into whether staff shared details of the review with Canadian government officials before members of Congress had a chance to see it. This letter comes as the State Department’s Inspector General is conducting an inquiry into whether the…

Keystone contractor gives us 5 more reasons it has a conflict of interest
Keystone contractor gives us 5 more reasons it has a conflict of interest

Politico just broke a big story. Environmental Resources Management, the firm hired by the State Department to do the environmental review of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, is a member of five oil industry booster groups that have advocated for the approval of the pipeline and spent millions to lobby for its approval.

The groups include the American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, and the Western Energy Alliance, all of…

A polluted process: Keystone XL, the State Department and conflicts of interest
A polluted process: Keystone XL, the State Department and conflicts of interest

New infographic shows State Department Keystone XL review compromised from Day 1

The showdown over Obamacare isn't the only reckless political ploy that threatens to shut down the government.  Republicans in Congress pushing the Keystone XL pipeline say they will not vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling, which would allow the government to pay for what it has already spent, unless the Obama Administration fast-tracks approval of the project. It's a high-stakes gambit that,…

Secretary Kerry, time for a fresh start on Keystone
Secretary Kerry, time for a fresh start on Keystone

This article, by Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica, was originally posted here on The Hill's Congress Blog.

During Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state, the State Department’s review of whether to permit construction of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline -- which would carry the world’s dirtiest oil from northern Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries -- was tainted by flagrant conflicts of interest and insider influence. Hopes were high that…

More lies: John Kerry must clean up the Keystone permit process

Last week brought fresh revelations of lying and deceit in the State Department’s environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline. Research conducted by Friends of the Earth revealed that Environmental Resources Management -- the London-based consulting firm hired by the State Department to do the supplemental environmental impact statement for Keystone XL -- lied on its conflict of interest disclosure forms when it claimed it had no business relationships with pipeline builder TransCanada or…

Groundhog Day with State Dept conflicts of interest
Groundhog Day with State Dept conflicts of interest

Today feels like Groundhog Day with the Department of State. More than a year ago, Friends of the Earth, along with members of Congress including Sen. Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Cohen from Tennessee, charged the State Department with gross negligence for failing to properly vet the consulting firm Cardio Entrix for improper conflicts of interest. Now, more than a year later, we are at a similar juncture with the State Department apparently actively trying…

Keystone XL pipeline: Can John Kerrys State Department finally get it right?
Keystone XL pipeline: Can John Kerrys State Department finally get it right?

In February John Kerry took over at the State Department, providing a glimmer of hope to those demanding that the agency finally serve as an honest broker on the review of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Kerry, a fierce advocate for bold action on climate change, certainly has his work cut out for him.

Since the Canadian pipeline company TransCanada first submitted its application in 2008, the State Department’s handling of the Keystone…

A greener day at the State Department?
A greener day at the State Department?

As Senator John Kerry’s confirmation hearing opened yesterday, President Obama set high expectations for his nominee to lead the State Department with a rigorous commitment to combating catastrophic climate change. But for Kerry to live up to the promises in the president’s inaugural address, he must reverse the often disappointing direction taken by the State Department on climate issues under the leadership of outgoing Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

Senator Kerry has spent many years calling…

President Obama we need leadership to fight climate change
President Obama we need leadership to fight climate change

Last week it sounded a lot like the conservative think thank American Enterprise Institute cares more about addressing climate change then President Barack Obama. It certainly seems more willing to find solutions.

AEI hosted a symposium on a carbon tax co-sponsored by the Brookings Institute, International Monetary Fund, and Resources for the Future. This well-attended event added to the momentum building behind a carbon tax as a common sense solution…

Dems capitulate on Keystone XL while activists organize in Texas and Oklahoma

The dog days of summer haven’t done much to slow down TransCanada’s propulsion towards construction of the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. The Canadian oil corporation last week unveiled its “new” proposed route through Nebraska. Spoiler alert: it’s almost exactly the same as the old one. They also haven’t diminished the Obama administration’s willingness to facilitate approval for a project that would carry the world’s dirtiest oil across our heartland.

Either Press…