US to approve Keystone pipeline

US to approve Keystone pipeline

WASHINGTON

The Trump administration will approve the Keystone XL pipeline today, senior U.S. officials said, ending years of delay for a project that has served as a flashpoint in the national debate about climate change.

The State Department will recommend the pipeline is in U.S. interests, clearing the way for the White House to grant a presidential permit to TransCanada to build the $8 billion pipeline, two officials said. It’s a sharp reversal from the Obama administration, which rejected the pipeline after deeming it contrary to national interests.

The officials, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity, said the State Department’s recommendation and the White House’s final approval would occur today.

The White House declined to comment, other than to say it would offer an update today.

Chicago has biggest population dip

CHICAGO

Census data show the Chicago region lost more residents than any other U.S. metropolitan area last year, a drop coinciding with other Midwestern cities experiencing declines as the South and Southwest regions saw gains.

Two Texas metropolitan areas surrounding Dallas and Houston reported the biggest numeric increases between July 2015 and July 2016.

Experts say the reasons for the shifts are complex.

Some families cite concerns about crime and schools. While demographers say the bigger picture from Thursday’s data could be the reanimation of a trend that paused during the recession – of Americans on the move from the Snow Belt to the suburbs of big cities and to the Sun Belt.

Illinois’ Cook County had the biggest annual population drop while Arizona’s Maricopa County had the highest.

Utah governor says he will approve strictest DUI limit

SALT LAKE CITY

Utah’s governor announced Thursday that he will sign legislation giving the predominantly Mormon state the strictest DUI threshold in the country, a change that restaurant groups and representatives of the ski and snowboard industry say will hurt tourism.

Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said he plans to approve the measure lowering the blood alcohol limit for most drivers to 0.05 percent from 0.08 percent and that it will save lives.

Opponents had urged him to veto the bill, saying it would punish responsible drinkers and burnish Utah’s reputation as a state that’s unfriendly for those who drink alcohol.

UN condemns North Korea tests

UNITED NATIONS

The Security Council is strongly condemning North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch and engine test as “grave” violations of U.N. sanctions that contribute to development of its nuclear weapons delivery systems.

The council said in a statement Thursday that the launch and test “increase tension in the region and beyond as well as the risk of a regional arms race.”

Wednesday’s missile launch ended in failure but the North hailed Saturday’s test of a new rocket engine.

Council member also expressed “serious concern” at North Korea’s “increasingly destabilizing behavior and flagrant and provocative defiance of the Security Council” by launching ballistic missiles and conducting nuclear tests.

Associated Press