The U.S. Congress remains gridlocked over how to legislatively respond to President Obama's decision to block the Keystone XL pipeline. Of note, two years ago in August of 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton approved a 1,000 mile pipeline from Alberta Canada to Wisconsin, known as the Clipper permit, with the capacity to transport 800,000 barrels of oil a day. The pipeline has been operating since October of 2010.

President Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline permit last month, arguing that the 60-day deadline for a decision imposed by congressional Republicans did not allow sufficient time to study alternate routes. Yet, when the Clipper permit was approved, Secretary Clinton justified administration support for the pipeline for national security, economic, and environmental reasons, and terming the project shovel-ready with construction jobs for workers in the United States. These are the very same arguments advanced by Keystone XL supporters.

In other energy news, the Department of the Interior hopes to sell leases off the coasts of New Jersey and Maryland by the end of this year, and off the Virginia coast early next year, for offshore wind projects. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said this week that an environmental impact assessment found no significant problems with issuing wind power leases in areas off the mid-Atlantic coast. He also called for public comment on potential wind projects.