The following editorial appeared in the Washington Post:
Environmentalists nevertheless made Keystone XL a rallying
issue. Among other things, they pointed to disquiet in Nebraska
about the pipeline's proposed route, objecting that it would
traverse environmentally sensitive areas, such as the state's
Sand Hills. Under pressure from Nebraska's government, would-be
pipeline builder TransCanada began looking at altering the
route. In the meantime, facing a congressionally mandated
deadline, the Obama administration rejected TransCanada's
application, citing the Nebraska routing question.   Obama left
open the possibility of approving a fresh application that,
conveniently, would come after the presidential election.
Unfortunately, when Obama rejected the Keystone XL application
last year, that also halted the federal regulatory process, and
those cogs will take a while longer to start turning anew. The
State Department, which has jurisdiction, has said it expects to
have a decision in the first quarter of