Canada writes U.S. to plug Keystone XL, offer to work together on oil pollution

WASHINGTON – The Canadian government has sent the Obama administration a letter making its case for the Keystone XL pipeline.

The letter argues the merits of the pipeline on environmental, economic and energy-security grounds.

It expresses a desire to work with the Americans on oil and gas issues, without wading into specifics.

The three-page note is signed by Canada’s ambassador to Washington, Gary Doer, and addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry.

Kerry is leading a regulatory review of the pipeline proposal and is accepting public comments during a 90-day national-interest determination phase.

Once that’s over, the Obama administration must decide whether to allow the pipeline to cross the border and connect to an existing leg in the southern U.S.

The president has reportedly told state governors that he expects to make a final decision in the next couple of months.

It’s the fifth time the Canadian government has submitted public comments in the multi-step, years-long Keystone XL regulatory process.