March 9 (UPI) -- In a letter to the environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday, a State Department spokeswoman said Secretary Rex Tillerson has recused himself from deliberations over the Keystone XL pipeline.
Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, was targeted by Greenpeace, who argued his ties to the oil industry could have influenced his role in negotiations with Canada over the pipeline's construction.