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Every federal action that can significantly affect the environment has to undergo a review process as per the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). One such action, the Keystone XL Project is a proposed oil pipeline, which would extend from Hardisty, Alberta in Canada to Houston, Texas. The agency in charge, in this case the State Department, writes an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is reviewed by other relevant agencies, interested parties, and the public. After two years of writing and revising the Keystone XL EIS, the State Department released the final version of the statement in August. Earlier this month, the State Department and TransCanada—the company proposing to build the pipeline—held their final public comment period. Typically, the State Department synthesizes all the information they’ve received, and if the project is found to be in the United States’ “national...
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