Obama administration delays Keystone XL pipeline decision

The Obama administration has delayed a decision on the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, citing a Nebraska state court decision that invalidated part of the project’s route.

The latest hold-up in the unusually lengthy review of the $5.3 billion oil pipeline almost certainly will push any decision until after the November midterm election, getting President Barack Obama off a political hook.

The White House has been pressed on one side by environmentalists who have turned opposition to the pipeline into a touchstone issue and on the other by conservative Democrats from energy-producing states who say approving Keystone XL would show the administration’s commitment to job creation.

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