I don’t deny the State Department will do the WH bidding on this. But the formal approval is with the State Department.
The report sets up a difficult decision for Secretary of State John Kerry, who now must make a recommendation on the international project to Mr. Obama.
President Obama said in June that he would sign off on the proposal only if it “does not significantly exacerbate the climate problem.”
Environmentalists said that if Mr. Obama were to approve the pipeline, it would destroy his efforts to make progress on climate change.
The WH is making the decision period. The Kerry "review" is just a way to delay a decision. This is a political decision that will be made solely in the WH.