Keystone Contractor’s Ties to Energy Groups Draw New Scrutiny

A contractor that worked on the State Department’s environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline is a member of several energy industry groups that have urged the government to support the project — news that is sure to further opponents’ accusations of bias.

Climate activists have already complained about alleged conflicts of interest by the London-based firm Environmental Resources Management, a company that worked on a State Department draft study concluding that TransCanada’s Alberta-to-Texas pipeline would pose little risk to the environment. The department’s inspector general is also conducting a probe into possible conflicts of interest in the pipeline review process.

While a previous State Department investigation found no conflicts of interest, the latest information could further roil a debate that has already turned Keystone into a political headache for the Obama administration, a campaign issue for Republicans in 2014 and a source of tension between the U.S. and Canada.

Websites or promotional material of the Western Energy Alliance, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association all list ERM as a members. In addition, two top ERM staffers are listed on the boards of the Western States Petroleum Association — another coalition of energy interests that supports the Keystone pipeline network.

Greens had already seized on ERM’s membership in the powerful American Petroleum Institute, another supporter of the pipeline.

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