No longer needed or simply trying to remove attention from public opposition?

How many pipelines does the world need? Enough to contaminate every body of water?

TransCanada (click here) has begun putting crude oil into the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, which eventually will carry up to 700,000 barrels of oil a day between Cushing and refineries on the Gulf Coast

By Jay F. Marks 
Modified: December 9, 2013 at 6:06 pm 
Published: December 10, 2013

...“The Gulf Coast Project is a significant step forward in the move to transport oil from Cushing to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries,” Howard said.

He said the pipeline was built using advanced safety standards featured in no other pipelines in operation.

Howard said testing of the pipeline is ongoing, but he was unable to provide any details about when it will go into commercial service.

The pipeline will carry up to 700,000 barrels of oil a day.

Harold Hamm: Keystone XL no longer needed (click here)

By Jay F. Marks 
Modified: August 27, 2013 at 12:05 am
Published: August 26, 2013

...Oklahoma’s pre-emiment oilman, Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm, joined the chorus after developer TransCanada agreed to add an on-ramp to transport oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota and Montana.

But apparently Hamm has changed his mind on the project.

“It’s not critical any longer,” Hamm told National Journal Daily‘s Amy Harder. “They just waited too long. The industry is very innovative, and it finds other ways of doing it and other routes.”

Hamm said he does not expect the Obama administration to approve Keystone XL, but there are other options for oil producers....

...A TransCanada spokesman said Keystone XL remains a vital project....