Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who in 2010 was "inclined" to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, is being urged by 30 environmental groups to speak out against the project,
The Wall Street Journal reported.
Since the pipeline is to cross from Canada into the United States bringing oil to the Gulf Coast, the State Department — now headed by Secretary John Kerry — was involved
in a review released in January. The review, which officials emphasized is not a decision document, found that the pipeline probably
wouldn't alter global greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and other groups have drafted a letter that asks Clinton to "stand with us against" the project.
"Given your longstanding advocacy for the environment and the importance of battling the climate crisis, your involvement would lend an important voice against this dangerous pipeline and in favor of energy sources that don't threaten future generations of Americans," the draft said, according to the Journal.
Some opponents of the pipeline declined to publicly press Clinton on the matter. Among anti-pipeline groups that begged off signing the letter are the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, according to the Journal.
Liberal activists are pressing the Obama administration to block Keystone because they believe it will exacerbate global warming. Some Democrats such as Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, who is seeking re-election, are backing the project on the grounds that it would create jobs.
The White House has postponed a decision at least until after a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling is rendered.
If Clinton decides to enter the 2016 presidential race, she will be pressed harder to take a stand on Keystone. In September, she is scheduled to deliver a major speech on energy at a Las Vegas conference hosted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He is an opponent of the pipeline, the Journal reported.
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