"Opponents and supporters of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project are gearing up for a pivotal round of public meetings around the country this week — forums that could play a role in whether the huge project receives final approval from the State Department by year’s end."
"The pipeline, which would stretch nearly 1,700 miles from Canada to the Gulf Coast, has been a lightning rod for environmentalists who argue that the type of crude it would carry — a diluted mixture of bitumen drawn from Alberta’s oil sands — is especially toxic to the environment and risky to transport.
TransCanada, the company behind the $7 billion project, maintains that the pipeline will not only be safe but will also infuse a struggling economy with an estimated 20,000 jobs while providing the United States with a source of oil from a reliable neighbor and ally.
Meetings are planned this week in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota and Montana, all states that the pipeline would cross."
Dan Frosch reports for the New York Times' Green blog September 26, 2011.
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