Inquiry could delay Keystone XL pipeline; Eastern Gulf line expected to carry almost as much oil

While an independent government inquiry into the State Department's choice of a private contractor to steer the latest Keystone XL environmental review could stall President Obama's final decision on the project until 2014, a little known pipeline nearly as big as Keystone is going relatively unnoticed, and is expected to be approved.

"If the initial inquiry turns up information that merits a more in-depth audit, a further probe of the department's internal procedures could prolong the process," Elana Schor reports for Environment and Energy News. After the inquiry is finished, there will be a 90-day public comment period. (Read more)  

While most the focus is on Keystone, the Eastern Gulf Crude Access Pipeline Project has received little attention. Planned for 2015, the 774-mile line would be capable of carrying almost as much oil as Keystone, and would run from Illinois to Louisiana, Lisa Song reports for Inside Climate News.

"The Eastern Gulf pipeline still needs various federal and state approvals, but it's expected to sail through the regulatory process with relative ease, because much of it is already built,," Song reports. "The bulk of the pipeline—574 miles—will be repurposed from an existing natural-gas line, so the project needs only 200 miles of new construction, including 40 miles from Patoka to Johnsonville, Ill., and 160 miles from Boyce to St. James, La." (Read more)