WASHINGTON, June 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department announced plans for public meetings as part of its review of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.
TransCanada wants to build a 1,700-mile extension to the Keystone pipeline that would carry oil from the Canadian border in Montana to refineries on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
The State Department said it would have public meetings in Washington and planned transit states to hear concerns about economic, energy security, environmental and safety issues.
The project is scrutinized by regulators and environmentalists who worry about the potential for spills and uncertainty about the safety of transiting oil from tar sands in Canada.
U.S. Senate Democrats have called for an examination of potential emissions, the need for additional capacity and the potential for pipeline degradation associated with the proposed pipeline.
Marty Durbin, executive vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, in a statement urged the State Department to back the project.
"The pipeline's construction and operation would mean many thousands of new U.S. jobs, a substantial increase in government revenue, and the means to significantly enhance our nation's energy security," he said.
The State Department said it would make a decision by the end of the year.
