The highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline project – that would move Canadian oil sands crude from Alberta to the US Gulf Coast – took a step forward in the drawn-out approval process today when the State Department released its Final Environmental Impact Statement. The statement is mostly favorable – the executive summary is included below.

Ultimately, President Obama needs to decide whether the project would contribute to a significant incremental greenhouse gas emissions release that would exacerbate climate change and thus not be in the national interest. As this Politico piece points out, the president is in an unenviable situation because denying pipeline approval would impede the North American oil & gas production boom he repeatedly touts as being positive, while approving the project would alienate his considerable green base.

Keystone XL Pipeline Final Environmental Impact Statement