In response to the January 31 release of the Keystone XL Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement by the US Department of State, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued the following statement from Todd Shelton, vice president for US government relations:
“As international leaders work toward a new global climate pact in 2015, signals from the United States will be watched closely. Should the President decide to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, he would undercut our nation’s credibility in driving global progress toward that goal. As the world's largest economy and second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the US must exert strong leadership in charting a course for a zero-carbon energy future.
“The implications of building the Keystone XL pipeline go beyond climate change. It would accelerate fragmentation of a globally important ecosystem, bisecting America’s last great swath of grassland, home to a diversity of wildlife unique to this region. The project not only would degrade and fragment wildlife habitat, it would also open the door to accelerating oil and gas development and the potentially devastating impacts of pipeline spills, which are all too common.”
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