Updated

Canada's Natural Resources Minister is urging the Obama administration to make a "timely decision" and he is "more confident" the Keystone XL pipeline will be approved after the U.S. State Department raised no major environmental objections to it.

Joe Oliver said Friday the United States has been studying the pipeline for five years and noted the latest federal study was the fifth on its environmental impact. He says each report has stated that the pipeline would not adversely affect the environment.

Obama's initial rejection of the pipeline went over badly in Canada, which relies on the U.S. for 97 percent of its energy exports. The pipeline is critical to western Canada, which needs more infrastructure to export its growing oil sands production. Alberta has the world's third largest oil reserves.