Letter to President Obama

Letter

Dr Mr. President:

We write to notify you that we have made a request to Deputy Inspector General Geisel at the US Department of State for a full and thorough investigation of the State Departments handling of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and National Interest Determination (NID) for 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 and independent Inspector General investigation is completed, made public and fully evaluated.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Bernard Sanders Steve Cohen
United States Senator Member of Congress

Rhon Wyden Peter Welch
United States Senator Member of Congress

Sheldon Whitehouse Earl Blumenauer
United States Senator Member of Congress

Chellie Pingree Mazie K. Hirono
Member of Congress Member of Congress

Raul M Grijalva Hank Johnson
Member of Congress Member of Congress

Micheal M Honda Dennis J Kucinich
Member of Congress Member of Congress

Tim Ryan Mike Quigley
Member of Congress Member of Congress