The U.S. State Department has ordered an environmental assessment for a new Keystone XL pipeline route, allowing U.S. President Barack Obama to shelve the controversial issue until after the 2012 elections. More….

As Tarsands Action says: We won. You won. Sending the pipeline back for re-review, adding climate change to the list of criteria to assess, and making sure the environmental assessment will be truly independent – all these will, in effect, kill the pipeline. (And if it doesn’t, we’ll come back and fight it again – www.tarsandsaction.org/pledge.)

For those concerned about people not having jobs as a result, I say: let’s put money into creating jobs that don’t continue to destroy the planet, let’s build our local economies and support each other, and let’s continue to think about what we can do now to create a better future for everyone. Blessed Be!