By Scott Haggett
CALGARY, Alberta, Jan 31 (Reuters) – TransCanada Corp
is anticipating a favorable review of the Keystone XL
pipeline when the U.S. State Department issues its final
environmental impact statement on the controversial project, a
move expected as soon as Friday.
Reuters reported late on Thursday that the State Department
was poised to release the Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the line. The release will be followed by a 90-day public
comment period but a final decision on the line from U.S.
President Barack Obama is not expected for months.
James Millar, a spokesman for the company, said TransCanada
expects the review’s conclusions to be similar to earlier
drafts, which found that the environmental impact of the $5.4
billion project would be manageable.
“Fifteen thousand pages of scientific and technical study
published in four environmental analysis reports since 2010 have
all concluded this project would have minimal impact on the
environment,” Millar said in an email. “We don’t see how the
final report would come to a different conclusion.”
The Keystone XL line would carry as much as 830,000 barrels
of crude per day from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City,
Nebraska, where it would meet the project’s already complete
southern leg to take the crude to the refining hub on the Texas
Gulf coast.
TransCanada shares were up more than 1 percent at C$48.53 by
early afternoon on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
