The CEO of the company behind the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is meeting with a senior State Department official "behind closed doors," The Hill reports on Thursday.
According to the article, TransCanada's Russ Girling's meeting on Thursday will be with Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
The company is still waiting for final approval for the pipeline from the State Department, and a U.S. official recently said that the decision would not be made until at least June.
On Wednesday, 60 groups urged newly sworn in Secretary of State John Kerry to take strong climate action, including opposing the Keystone XL.
"American leadership is essential to heading off deeper climate disruption," Natural Resources Defense Council International Program Director Susan Casey-Lefkowitz said in a statement.
"Secretary Kerry has an opportunity to supercharge his already strong climate record by rejecting dirty fuels, starting with the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, which would dramatically boost carbon pollution and worsen our climate."
