Obama in a hurry to speed up oil pipeline

The political row over the stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the US escalated yesterday, when presidential plaudits for part of the project served only to highlight how the White House has blocked full approval. Stung by criticism that his failure to approve the full extent of the pipeline has contributed to rising fuel prices, Barack Obama promised to accelerate the building of a link from the US oil trading hub at Cushing, Oklahoma, to refineries on the Gulf Coast. It was not immediately clear if the President's words would actually help speed construction, however. This section has not drawn the wrath of environmentalists, like the longer section stretching up into the Canadian oil sands region.