Washington (Platts)--24Jan2013/1243 pm EST/1743 GMT

US Senator John Kerry, whose nomination to lead the State Department is expected to secure easy approval, Thursday did not let on how he views TransCanada's application to build the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat-California, asked Kerry during his nomination hearing how he would ensure that the decision "takes into consideration the potential impacts of the pipeline on water and air quality and mitigates any increases in the carbon pollution issue."

A Massachusetts Democrat, Kerry said he has checked in on the process underway to review TransCanada's second application for a presidential permit to build the diluted bitumen pipeline.

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"It will not be long before that comes across my desk, and at that time I'll make the appropriate judgments about it," he told his colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he currently chairs.

"But it does require, we are responsible for the environmental review," Kerry continued. "There are specific standards that have to be met with respect to that review. I'm going to review those standards to make sure they're complete and my own judgments about it."

The State Department is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement of Keystone XL, the last major step before a final permitting decision.

A State Department spokeswoman said this week that she does not expect the process to wrap up before April.

--Meghan Gordon, meghan_gordon@platts.com
--Edited by Richard Rubin, richard_rubin@platts.com

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