U.S. extends deadline to review pipeline
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is extending indefinitely the amount of time federal agencies have to review the Keystone XL pipeline, the State Department said Friday, likely punting the decision over the controversial oil pipeline until after the midterm elections.
The State Department didn’t say how much longer it will grant agencies to weigh in but cited a recent decision by a Nebraska judge that overturned a state law that allowed the pipeline’s path through the state, prompting uncertainty and an ongoing legal battle.
Nebraska’s Supreme Court isn’t expected to rule for another several months, and there could be more legal maneuvering after that.
The delay potentially frees President Barack Obama to avoid making a final call on the pipeline until after the November election.
Landslide picks up speed in Wyoming
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A slow-moving landslide in the Wyoming resort town of Jackson sped up significantly Friday, causing a huge uplift in a road and a Walgreens parking lot overnight and threatening to destroy several unoccupied homes and businesses sooner or later.
The 100-foot-high hillside is unlikely to liquefy and collapse suddenly like the March 22 landslide in Oso, Wash., that killed 39 people, a geologist said at a town meeting Friday.
But large blocks of earth could tumble down one piece at a time, presenting a drawn-out threat to four homes on the hill and to two apartment buildings and four businesses below, said George Machan, a landslide specialist consulting for the town.
California set to ease water restrictions
FRESNO, Calif. –Drought-stricken California farmers and cities are set to get more water as state and federal officials ease cutbacks due to recent rain and snow, officials announced on Friday.
The Department of Water Resources said it is increasing water allotments from the State Water Project from zero to 5 percent of what water districts have requested. The State Water Project supplies water to 29 public agencies serving more than 25 million Californians and irrigates nearly a million acres of farmland.
Also, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it will supply 75 percent of the water requested by water agencies in the Sacramento Valley, up from the current 40 percent
Obama signs bill to block Iran envoy
WASHINGTON –President Barack Obama has signed legislation aimed at blocking Iran’s chosen ambassador to the United Nations but says he’s only treating it as guidance.
The unusual legislation bars anyone from entering the U.S. as a U.N. representative if they’ve engaged in espionage or terrorist activity and still pose a threat to U.S. security. It’s aimed at blocking Hamid Aboutalebi. He’s linked to the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
Obama says he shares lawmakers’ concern that terrorists could use diplomatic cover to enter the U.S.
Associated Press
