The Keystone XL pipeline hit another obstacle Friday when a court blocked the Trump administration’s construction permit and ordered an environmental review. The $8 billion pipeline would begin in Alberta, Canada, and connect to an existing pipeline in Steele City, Neb., that goes all the way to the Gulf Coast. The Keystone XL could transport up to 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ruled that the environmental impacts of the project had not been considered as federal law required.
The Trump administration late Tuesday said it would not allow oil drilling off the coast of Florida, reversing course from just five days ago when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced an expansive offshore drilling plan. Zinke said on Tuesday night drilling in the waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida was “off the table” after a meeting with Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
The White House on Thursday moved to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic oceans. The new five-year drilling plan also could open up federal waters off the California coast for the first time in more than three decades. It could also allow new oil and gas exploration off the East Coast from Georgia to Maine, where the government has blocked drilling. The plan would let private companies access 90 percent of the nation’s offshore reserves. Critics, including some Republican lawmakers, say new drilling puts the environment at risk.
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