The State Department's chief investigator will review the Obama
administration's handling of a Canadian company's request to pipe oil from
western Canada to Texas, following complaints from 13 Democratic lawmakers and
one independent.

Deputy Inspector General Harold W. Geisel said the special review will centre
on whether the State Department "and all other parties involved" in the project
followed federal laws and regulations related to the $7 billion Keystone XL
project. The 1,700-mile (2,735 kilometre) pipeline proposed by Calgary-based
TransCanada would carry oil derived from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, to
refineries in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas.

The pipeline would travel through five states before reaching Texas. It would
double the capacity of an existing pipeline that opened last year, carrying oil
through seven states.