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Environmental groups are celebrating the State Department's decision to ignore a request to delay the Keystone XL pipeline approval process that could have punted the decision to the next president.

Pipeline builder TransCanada on Monday asked the State Department to delay the review of its application for the Keystone XL until the Nebraska Public Service Commission completes its review of the proposed route. However, many environmental groups saw the request as an attempt to run out the clock on the Obama administration until the next president takes office in 2017.

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