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The former hedge fund of one of the Democratic Party’s most important donors was involved in a scheme to defraud foreign investors out of tens of millions of dollars, according to documents filed in a Texas court. Farallon Capital Partners L.P., a fund run by Farallon Capital Management, the multibillion-dollar hedge fund founded by Democratic donor Tom Steyer, became a limited partner in a project to build a large shopping mall near Seattle, Wash., in the mid-1990s after it guaranteed a line of credit for the project.

On Wednesday, a Nebraska judge struck down a state law that would have allowed TransCanada to use the power of eminent domain to seize private land to help construct a short 300-mile segment of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline between Cushing and Steele City, Nebraska. The law in question, LB 1161, allows Nebraska Governor David Heineman and TransCanada to avoid regulators in siting a crucial portion of the pipeline. Lancaster County District Judge Stephanie Stacy sided with three landowners who challenged the law, finding that regulatory power over industrial companies such as TransCanada must remain with agencies such as the...

A Nebraska judge ruled Wednesday that the state violated its constitution when it allowed the governor to approve the route of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a decision that could significantly delay the $5.3 billion project. District Court judge Stephanie F. Stacy blocked Gov. Dave Heineman (R) and other defendants “from taking any action on the governor’s January 22, 2013 approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline route,” such as allowing land to be acquired by eminent domain for the project. Stacy concluded that the state legislature’s decision to take the siting power away from its Public Service Commission and give...

LINCOLN, Neb. – A Nebraska judge on Wednesday struck down a law that allowed the Keystone XL oil pipeline to proceed through the state, a victory for opponents who have tried to block the project. Lancaster County Judge Stephanie Stacy issued a ruling that invalidated Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman's approval of the route. Stacy agreed with opponents' arguments that law passed in 2011 improperly delegated the decision-making power to Heineman to give the company eminent domain powers within the state. Stacy said the decision should have been made by the Nebraska Public Service Commission, which regulates pipelines and other utilities....

TransCanada Corp. stands by its forecast that its controversial Keystone XL pipeline project will be a major job creator after U.S. president Barack Obama derided the claim in a weekend interview. In the session with the New York Times, Mr. Obama said the pipeline project would create no more than 2,000 direct jobs over a two-year construction period, a figure he said was a “blip” compared to the economy’s need. Mr. Obama also suggested Canada could do more to reduced greenhouse gas emissions that could result from the pipeline, and thereby help win its approval. In a statement issued late...

Senate votes on climate change and the Keystone XL oil pipeline laid bare divisions among Democrats — and underscored why the White House, not Congress, will be where the critical climate decisions reside in President Obama’s second term.Several votes during the freewheeling debate over a nonbinding budget plan provided a political barometer of where the chamber, including vulnerable Democrats, stand on the topics. Advocates of the proposed pipeline scored a symbolic victory Friday when 62 lawmakers voted for an amendment backing the project to bring oil from Canadian tar sands projects to Gulf Coast refineries. Seventeen Democrats supported Sen....

In a move that likely to shake America’s energy future to its core, protestors have adopted the idea of ‘chaining’ themselves to equipment being used for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline in Texas. In the video below one anti-gas protester tells reporters, “It’s necessary to stop this pipeline. It’s a threat to our constitutional rights.” Huh? It’s just too bad the equipment the loons chained themselves to didn’t belong to TransCanada… And, it wasn’t being used on the project that day. [VIDEO]

Politics: The president stages a photo-op in Oklahoma to take credit for the portion of the Keystone XL pipeline that doesn't need his approval and for oil production on private and state lands beyond his jurisdiction. If one of his aides some morning remarked on a particularly lovely sunrise, it wouldn't surprise us if President Obama responded with a "thank you," so gifted is he in taking credit for successes that he has nothing to do with and that occur despite, not because, of his policies. So it will be Thursday, when Obama is scheduled to appear in Cushing, Okla.,...

TransCanada Corp. said Monday it plans to begin building a major portion of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline despite the Obama administration's decision to reject a key permit for the project. The company told the State Department in a letter Monday that it will begin construction of a section of the pipeline that runs from Cushing, Okla., to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The stand-alone portion of the project, which TransCanada dubbed the Gulf Coast Project, will cost $2.3 billion and will be completed in mid-to-late 2013, according to the company. The project must still receive other regulatory approvals....

DID PRESIDENT OBAMA BLOCK THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE AS A PAYBACK TO HIS BIG CAMPAIGN DONOR?02-01-2012 12:46 pm - Alan KeyesDid you know that the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line, owned by Obama's deep pocketed and extremely generous buddy Warren Buffett, stood to gain the most from cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline. Barack Obama recently sacrificed at least 85,000 high paying jobs when he effectively killed the Keystone XL pipeline, but in doing so Obama is also apparently paying back yet another of his big donors. The cancellation of the Keystone pipeline project means that Warren Buffet's Burlington Northern...

The American Spectator : Environmentalism and the Leisure With the defeat of the Keystone Pipeline, this is no longer possible. Too many blue-collar and middle-class jobs have been sacrificed on the altar of carbon emissions and global warming.

Republicans in the House of Representatives said on Wednesday they plan to introduce a bill to advance TransCanada's Keystone XL oil pipeline to try to override President Barack Obama's rejection of the $7 billion project. House Speaker John Boehner told reporters "all options are on the table" to craft a bill to fight for the pipeline, which Republicans say would create thousands of jobs and bolster the economic recovery. "There are legislative vehicles that will be moving in the weeks and months ahead," Boehner said. House Republicans have not yet decided what kind of legislation they will push, said Lee...

<p>LINCOLN, Neb. – Days after the Obama administration threatened to delay approval of a planned oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico -- angering unions while appeasing environmentalists -- the company seeking to build the pipeline says it's willing to reroute the project to get it back on track.</p>

Following up on Tina’s recent column on the general sense of malaise surrounding green warriors and their lack of confidence in the current administration, another chapter has been added to the book. A stalwart group of environmental activists, including some briefly incarcerated celebrities, managed to spend more than two weeks of their summer holiday camped out in front of the White House. Braving everything from earthquakes and hurricanes to slaps on the wrist from the capital police and the jeers of the public, they staked out their turf on the sidewalks to make their voices heard.So how did that work...

American actress Daryl Hannah is arrested in front of the White House along with other environmental protesters opposing a planned oil pipeline from Canada to the US Gulf Coast. Hannah was released after paying a $100 fine, following her arrest for failure to obey a lawful order, said US Park Police spokesman Sergeant David Schlosser. More than 70 people were arrested in the Tar Sands Action protest on Tuesday, which is named after efforts to block the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project to bring oil sands petroleum from Canada to Texas refineries.

Capitol Hill opponents of the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline are attacking the State Department’s finding that the proposed project will cause minimal environmental harm if managed properly.The State Department’s conclusion in an environmental analysis released Friday is a crucial step toward final federal approval of the 1,700-mile pipeline, which would bring crude from Alberta’s oil sands projects to Gulf Coast refineries.But the finding isn’t sitting well with Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who called the analysis flawed, alleging the State Department failed to “adequately asses the real environmental impact.” The pipeline would run through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and...

The Transportation Department has given TransCanada Corp. permission to restart its Keystone oil pipeline, just a day after blocking resumption of operations on the line that has suffered two recent leaks.The department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in a letter Saturday, told the company that it had approved its restart plan and that the restart could commence today. “PHMSA’s decision follows a thorough evaluation of the company’s proposed plan, and safety activities required under the plan. As required by the Corrective Action Order, restart of the pipeline will be under restricted conditions and closely monitored by PHMSA,” the...

After a series of spills, the United States Department of Transportation has ordered the TransCanada Corporation to suspend operation of its one-year-old Keystone 1 pipeline, which carries oil extracted from oil sands in the Canadian province of Alberta to the United States. The order was issued by the department’s Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.“Effective immediately, this order prevents TransCanada from restarting operations on their Keystone crude oil pipeline until P.H.M.S.A. is satisfied with the ongoing repairs and is confident that all immediate safety concerns have been addressed,” the agency said. It issued the order in response to two incidents...

Denali - The Alaska Gas Pipeline announced today that its open season efforts have not resulted in the customer commitments necessary to continue work on its Alaska North Slope gas pipeline project, which has an overall estimated capital cost of $35 billion (2009 dollars). Denali will withdraw its Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pre-file application and, over the next few months, close out its operations. "Denali is ending its efforts because of a lack of customer support," said Bud Fackrell, Denali President. "Denali is a market-driven company. As such, we cannot spend the billions of dollars necessary to advance the project...

The proposed multibillion-dollar TransCanada gas pipeline from the North Slope took a step forward this afternoon with the receipt of bids from potential shippers willing to pay to move gas to markets. "The Alaska Pipeline Project can report that we've received multiple bids from major industry players and others for significant volumes," said Tony Palmer, a TransCanada Corp. vice president. Reading from a short prepared statement, Palmer said, "We're encouraged about the future advancement of the project if key conditions can be resolved. Although we need to further assess the results, we're encouraged by the bids received, the interest expressed...