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Keystone pipeline stinks, critics say

WASHINGTON, March 17 (UPI) -- A tar sands oil pipeline from Canada under consideration by the U.S. State Department stinks "like a rotten onion," an environmental group said.

The U.S. State Department said it would solicit public comments on the planned Keystone oil pipeline as part of its federal review process.

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The 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.

The National Wildlife Federation says the pipeline is "highly controversial" because oil sand production is considered more harmful to the environment.

"This pipeline is like a rotten onion," said Ryan Salmon, energy policy adviser for NWF, in a statement. "The more layers you peel away, the more it smells."

Critics note oil sands are potentially more corrosive than conventional crude oil, raising the risk of a spill from the Keystone pipeline.

Salmon said Washington was eschewing clean energy goals by considering the project.

"The State Department has the chance to do right by landowners and all Americans by ensuring their actions are consistent with U.S. President (Barack) Obama's clean energy goals," he said.

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