WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earnest's comment confirmed that the US administration would not decide on the building of the controversial pipeline prior to the UN Climate Change Conference that will take place on November 30 till December 11.
“There is this ongoing review at the State Department, and at this point I wouldn’t commit to a decision being announced prior to the beginning of December,” Earnest said when asked about the timing of President Barack Obama’s decision on the project.
The top two carbon dioxide emitters in the world — the United States and China — have stated their intention to decrease their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent in the next 10-15 years.
Critics of the pipeline say it will harm the environment, while proponents say it will create jobs and lower gas and oil prices.
White House spokesperson Eric Schultz said in July that the US government would resolve the Keystone pipeline issue by the end of Obama’s presidential term in office.
In August, the Keystone pipeline project owner TransCanada Corporation was reportedly deliberating possible responses to Obama’s likely rejection of the pipeline.
