Keystone will ‘impact night skies’

U.S, Interior Department opposes pipeline plan

WASHINGTON Building the Keystone XL pipeline would lead to more man-made light and noise in sparsely populated regions, which may harm natural resources, wildlife and visitors to national parks, the U.S. Interior Department said.

In comments the agency submitted to the State Department as part of an environmental review of the project, the department warned that TransCanada Corp., the project’s builder, isn’t adequately dealing with risks to “cultural soundscapes” and “high quality night skies.

“The cumulative effects of the project could adversely impact the quality of the night skies and the overall photic environment,” Willie Taylor, director of the department’s office of environmental policy, wrote.

The agency is reviewing Keystone, which would transport bitumen from Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, because it would cross an international border. A final report on the pipeline’s environmental impact may be issued as early as September. After that, the department will conduct a 90-day review to determine if Keystone is in the national interest, pushing a final decision to late this year or 2014.

Environmental groups oppose the pipeline, citing the contributions of Alberta oil production on climate change and the risk of spills along the more than 1,400-kilometre route from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska The Interior Department focused on the impact on U.S. national parks and other public lands managed by the agency, and the comments underscore the level of scrutiny the project is getting. The department also said it “has concerns with the proposed pipeline’s stream and wetland crossings.”