Pausing Keystone Pipeline Review Process 'Unusual' Move - White House

Putting a pause on the Keystone XL pipeline review process led by the US Department of State would be an unusual move, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earnest’s remarks come a day after TransCanada Corporation withdrew its request to the Obama administration to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline project.

"I don't have an update on where the State Department currently is in the [review] process, but given how long it’s taken…it seems unusual to me to suggest that somehow it should be paused yet again," Earnest said.

Asked whether President Barack Obama plans to make a final decision on the construction of the pipeline before the end of his presidency, Earnest said it continues to be the administration’s "current plan."

Earnest stressed that there has been no infrastructure in the history of the United States as "politicized" as the Keystone XL pipeline.

"There's no doubt that there have been a series of delays for reasons related to politics and legalities, but there's also been a delay based on a desire to shield this process from politics so that the merits can be appropriately considered," Earnest said.

The Keystone XL pipeline, which is supposed to pump oil from Alberta, Canada to the US Gulf Coast, has been the center of heated debates in the United States.

Critics of the pipeline say it will harm the environment, while proponents say it will create jobs and lower gas and oil prices