NRDC founder John Adams with inflatable pipeline_protest encircling White House 6 Nov 2011

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Comment by Tony Nuspl on November 8, 2011 at 4:28pm

Despite a lack of mainstream media coverage of the pipeline — which would carry dirty and destructive tar sands oil from Canada to Texas — pressure from national and local activists around the country has turned this once done deal into a not-so-fast proposal.

Check out the timeline below, from Public Citizen, for the key moments in the declining certitude of the Keystone XL pipeline.

June 2011
The State Department’s comment period for the project’s Environmental Impact Statement closes. Hillary Clinton implies the project will be met with approval.

August 20 – September 3
A two-week sustained protest is held in front of the White House, r...

August 26
The State Department issues its final Environmental Impact Statement, concluding that the proposed 1,700-mile pipeline would have “no significant impact” on the environment and recommending that the project move forward.

August 30
A White House press corps reporter asks Press Secretary Carney whether President Obama was aware of the White House protests. Carney responds, “I haven’t talked to him about it.”

September 2011
Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act reveal a cozy relationship between TransCanada, the company behind the pipeline, and the State Department, as well as a glaring conflict of interest between TransCanada and Cardno Entrix — the firm hired by the State Department to prepare the pipeline’s Environmental Impact Statement.

October 5
Senator Harry Reid pens a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in which he calls the proposed project “unsustainable” and “dirty.”

October 5
A lawsuit is launched against the State Department for allowing TransCanada to clear a 100-mile corridor in Nebraska.

October 7
The final round of public hearings concludes in Washington, D.C. Hundreds register to speak out against the pipeline and more than a thousand participate in a rally outside the hearing.

October 26
Fourteen members of Congress call for an investigation into possible conflicts of interest in the pipeline review, including Cardno Entrix’s role in the process.

The thousands of people that it will take to complete the circle around the White House will send a powerful message that simply can’t be ignored.

October 31
The Nebraska Legislature opens a special session to consider changing the law to give the state more control over the Keystone XL and other major oil lines. TransCanada promises to file court challenges if Nebraska tries to intervene.

November 2
During a visit to Nebraska, reporters put Obama on the spot about the pipeline. The president states that he, not the State Department, will make the final decision on the pipeline — representing his fir