Approve Keystone Now

The most significant entry logged during the just-ended 45-day comment period on the State Department’s second environmental-impact report for the Keystone XL oil pipeline came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA called for more study on the greenhouse-gas emissions involved, the risk of spills, alternative routes for the pipeline and how it would affect communities along the route. More specifically, the EPA asked that the pipeline builder, TransCanada Corp., be required to put in writing its commitment to fully clean up any spills.

That last point is a good idea, and illustrates why it makes sense for a collection of federal agencies to weigh in on big proposals of great public interest. But it seems to us that we have finally reached the “enough already” moment in this debate. The EPA had its say on the first environmental-impact report on Keystone in 2011. This time around, once the process is complete, eight federal agencies will have given input. The technical review has been detailed and thorough.