Over the weekend, it was reported that the Keystone pipeline leak that occurred in South Dakota last November was double in size of the original estimate. The pipeline is owned by TransCanada Corporation and this leak could pose problems for the company's efforts in seeking approval to finish the northern section of a second pipeline, the Keystone XL.
TransCanada has spent years lobbying for that approval. On its lobbying team are three former ambassadors to Canada: David Wilkins, Gordon Giffin, and Jim Blanchard.
Because the pipeline crosses the border, TransCanada needs approval from the U.S. State Department. Back when John Kerry was the Secretary of State, TransCanada employed three lobbyists who were former members of Kerry's campaign team: Brandon Pollak, Graham Shalgian, and David Castagnetti. The current Secretary of State is John J. Sullivan, who was an attorney and partner at the firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe, & Maw, which has represented and advised TransCanada.
Note that Paul Elliott is included for his involvement with Hillary Clinton's campaign because she also served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration prior to John Kerry.
