If you have been following the news on the pipelines that would carry tar sands oil (the world’s dirtiest fuel) from Canada to the US, you’ll be glad to know that the EPA is now trying to slow down the process and possibily stop these pipelines with the State Department.  The EPA told the SD their EIS doesn’t cut it: http://bit.ly/b0ShYv

The Minnesota Clipper pipeline portion was personally approved by Hillary Clinton last year, disappointing me and all environmentally aware people  here in the U.S.  Now another new pipeline is being considered for approval, and given Clinton’s record, it will likely be approved.  But the EPA is stepping in to say Wait a Minute!  Here’s an excerpt from the article from the NYT.

As we’ve reported, the State Department is considering whether to approve a huge new pipeline called Keystone XL that will bring crude from Canada’s oil sands all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

A new pipeline would vastly expand the amount of oil extracted from Canadian oil sands that is used in the United States – which could be good in terms of energy security.

But environmental groups contend that this oil comes with an unacceptable array of environmental problems, from a relatively heavy production of greenhouse gas emissions to destruction of northern, or boreal, forests.

In a letter to the State Department dated Friday, the federal Environmental Protection Agency for the first time officially weighed in on the decision, describing the State Department’s draft environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL project as inadequate.

It said the government had far more research to conduct and information to collect before it could consider the pipeline proposal.

Among the items agency said it found deficient in the draft environmental impact statement were the discussion of potential greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project, pipeline safety and spill-response planning, as well as the impact on indigenous Canadian communities.

Read more here. Hopefully the EPA will stop this pipeline and eventually, the entire project bringing this oil into the U.S.  If the U.S. doesn’t buy this dirty oil, they will try to export it.  It’s extremely expensive oil though, and it’s possible no one else will be able to afford it.  It’s time for renewable energy taking over for fossil fuels now!