Groups sue to protect wildlife from Keystone XL

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The groups sent a formal notice of intent to sue Thursday to the State Department – which is heading the federal review of the project – and several other agencies.

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“State and [the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] have failed to conduct formal consultation to consider the effects of the Keystone XL Pipeline project (Project) to the Whooping Crane, Interior Least Tern, Piping Plover, Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, Pallid Sturgeon, and Arkansas River Shiner,” states theOct. 27 letterfrom the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council and Nebraska Wildlife Federation.

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The State Department issued a final environmental impact statement (EIS) in Augustthat gave the project a largely favorable review, and hopes to make a final decision by the end of the year. The letter is designed to ensure the option to litigate if the permit is issued.

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The groups, in the letter, allege the “biological assessment” prepared alongside the EIS and a subsequent “biological opinion” prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were shoddy in their analysis of the pipeline’s effect on the species.