John Kerry

Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Friday that he would stick to a “very open and transparent” permitting process for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline, adding, “I hope we will be able to make an announcement in the near term.”Emerging from a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, Kerry said, “We have a legitimate process that is underway, and I’m going to honor that.” He said it was “fair and accountable.” It was Kerry’s first meeting as secretary with a foreign diplomat, a nod to neighborliness but also to the importance of settling the Keystone XL issue.
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The Keystone XL pipeline permit, a State Department matter because it crosses an international boundary, has become controversial because of environmental concerns about possible leaks and high greenhouse gas emissions linked to production from Canada’s oil sands, which would mostly supply the pipeline.
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The State Department will soon release a new environmental impact statement, based on Trans­Canada’s revised application. That will trigger a several-week period for public comments and responses.
Since the election, pipeline foes have stepped up efforts to block the proposal. Kerry had raised their hopes by saying in his confirmation hearing that U.S. foreign policy “is defined by leadership on life-threatening issues like climate change.”