 |
| Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar |
By: Emily Chassman and Naomi Bernstein
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar issued the following statement earlier today in regards to the Keystone Pipeline:
"As Secretary of the Interior my job is to help protect America’s natural resources, our cultures and tribal communities, and supply energy for the long term. My concerns about the Keystone Pipeline are in line with the Obama Administration's position on the issue. I feel that the President acted responsibly in rejecting the initial proposal on the grounds of environmental issues. The rushed decision to give the President a 60 day
period to review the Keystone pipeline, which goes through six states,
hindered any probability of it being passed. If the reformed version of the proposal poses no threats to our nation’s resources and does not endanger communities along the pipeline, then I am in support of it’s approval. Until the guidelines for this project are significantly altered, the pipeline should not be constructed because of the potential risks it poses to the well being of US citizens. Of course the main concern is the possibility that the pipeline could rupture near the Ogallala aquifer, the main
source of drinking water in the Midwest. We trust that the Administration and the EPA will exercise prudent judgement and will not approve a proposal that poses such threats. While the southernmost portion is being built, we will wait for an acceptable and detailed plan before constructing the rest of the pipeline. We strongly urge TransCanada to present a more pragmatic and nonpartisan approach that
will serve the best interests of the American people." #
No comments:
Post a Comment