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TransCanada CEO 'disappointed' with Keystone XL pipeline delay

(Reuters) - TransCanada Corp Chief Executive Russ Girling said on Friday he was "extremely disappointed and frustrated" with yet another delay in making a decision on a presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. The statement followed the decision by the U.S. State Department to extend the government comment period on the Keystone XL pipeline, a move that likely postpones a final decision on the controversial project until after the November 4 mid-term elections. By linking Canadian fields to refiners on the Gulf Coast, the 1,200-mile (1,900-km) Keystone XL pipeline would be a boon to an energy patch where oil sands are abundant but that produce more carbon pollution than many other forms of crude. "We are also disappointed the United States will continue to rely on suspect and aggressive foreign leaders for the eight to nine million barrels of oil that is imported every day", Girling said in an email. "It is unfortunate that interest groups and paid activists are blocking energy security, saying no to jobs, and creating a situation that actually leads to higher GHG's (greenhouse gases) and greater public at risk" he said. Keystone opponents say that burning fossil fuels to wrench oil sands crude from the ground will worsen climate change, and that the $5.4 billion pipeline, which could carry up to 830,000 barrels per day, would only spur more production. (Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in Bangalore; Editing by Marguerita Choy)