EPA seeks improvement on Keystone XL review

By RYAN TRACY 

WASHINGTON -- The head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave the State Department's review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline a "C" grade, but said there is "ample time and ability" to upgrade the analysis.

The comments by Bob Perciasepe, the agency's acting administrator, to the House Appropriations Committee brought into focus concerns the EPA has already raised about the State Department's environmental review of the project.

Environmental groups have made blocking the pipeline a top priority, and the White House has balked on making a final decision on it for more than a year.

The State Department's most recent review, released earlier this year, was an improvement over a previous version, Mr. Perciasepe said.

The grade the new version should receive "was actually a passing grade," Mr. Perciasepe said. "It is like a "C'. We think there is ample time and ability for analysis of these issues to be upgraded substantially."

The EPA wrote the State Department a letter last month urging a closer look at greenhouse gas emissions and potential spills from the project, which would carry crude oil from Canada's oil sands to refineries in the United States. The State Department has jurisdiction to approve the project because it crosses an international border.