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In comments the agency submitted to the State Department as part of an environmental review of the project, Interior warned that TransCanada Corp., the project’s builder, isn’t adequately dealing with risks to “cultural soundscapes” and “high quality night skies.”

“The cumulative effects of the project could adversely impact the quality of the night skies and the overall photic environment,” Willie R. Taylor, director of the office of environmental policy at Interior, wrote in a letter on April 29. The State Department posted the letter on its website this week as it releases 1.2 million comments received about the project.

The agency is reviewing Keystone, which would transport bitumen from Alberta to refineries along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, because it would cross an international border. A final report on the pipeline’s environmental impact may be issued as early as September. After that, the department will conduct a 90-day review to determine if Keystone is in the national interest, pushing a final decision to late this year or 2014.

Environmental groups oppose the pipeline, citing the contributions of Alberta oil production on climate change and the risk of oil spills along the more than 875-mile (1,408-kilometre) route from Canada to Steele City, Nebraska.

Gas Emissions

In separate comments in April, the Environmental Protection Agency urged the State Department to analyze the costs of greenhouse-gas emissions by refining the tar sands into fuel. Greenhouse-gas emissions from refining oil sands are 17% greater than conventional crude oil, the agency said.