U.S. to ask for comment on Keystone XL

WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department said it would solicit public comment on the planned Keystone oil pipeline as part of its federal review process.

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would stretch 1,700 miles from the border of Canada through Oklahoma and on to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

"In order to provide interested parties and the public the maximum opportunity to comment on this important project, the department will continue to solicit public comment," the State Department announced.

Environmentalists are worried about the potential consequences of the planned Keystone XL pipeline that would carry tar sands oil to southern U.S. refineries.

The National Resource Defense Council said in a 16-page report that conventional crude oil pipelines "appear to pose new and significant risks of pipeline leaks or ruptures due to corrosion" when they carry tar sands oil.

Friends of the Earth, the Center for International Environmental Law and Corporate Ethics International claim links between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the oil industry suggests a conflict of interest in the State Department's review of the oil pipeline.