Letter to President Obama

Letter

Dear President Obama:

We write to notify you that we have made a request to Deputy Inspector General Geisel at the U.S. Department of State for a full and thorough investigation of the State Department's handling of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and National Interest Determination (NID) for TransCanada Corporation's proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Many serious concerns have been raised regarding conflicts of interest in the State Department's process for conducting its federally-mandated review of this project. Fundamentally, on a decision of such consequence, with a project that could have a fifty-year lifespan and that presents tremendous environmental and safety risks, we believe it is critical that the American people have confidence that all the facts have been presented in an objective and unbiased manner, and that the State Department and all private parties have fully complied with the letter and spirit of all federal laws and regulations.

We agree with and applaud your commitment to transparency and to "creating an unprecedented level of openness in government." In keeping with that commitment, we respectfully request that your administration hold off on any final decision on the Keystone XL pipeline permit application until an independent Inspector General investigation is completed, made public and fully evaluated.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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