The State Department’s internal watchdog has “initiated an inquiry” into whether the contractor Foggy Bottom used for a draft environmental analysis on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline had a conflict of interest.
The move is a response to allegations from several outside groups, Doug Welty, a spokesman with the State Department Office of Inspector General, told The Hill on Friday.
The development raises the possibility of another redo of the analysis assessing Keystone’s environmental impact.
Several green and left-leaning groups have claimed the consultancy State picked to conduct the draft environmental review had financial ties to Keystone builder TransCanada Corp. and the American Petroleum Institute, a Keystone supporter.
Bloomberg first reported news of the inquiry. Welty explained that an “inquiry” is more of a fact-finding mission than an investigation, which is reserved for criminal matters.