Environmental law professor Jessica Owley can weigh in on this breaking news. She just wrote a book titled "Rethinking Sustainability to Meet the Climate Change Challenge."

She says this decision drifted from the heart of the legal issue and became a political one. Approval or rejection of the Keystone Pipeline may not change the amount of carbon-heavy oil used by the American people, she says, but it does indicate that the administration is not endorsing tar sands as a desirable energy source.

"The original debate was around the permitting process and for awhile that was all the debate was. It has shifted beyond that. That ship has sailed. Now it has become a symbol for what the administration's stance will be when it comes to climate change. A lot of people think Obama's rejection won't change the amount of oil we use -- it will be moved by train instead of pipeline -- but it does send a message that the administration won't be endorsing it and won't bend any rules to support the fossil fuel industry and that message is a good one."

"I don't think this means that tar sands won't be exploited, it just means they won't be exploited through the pipeline. Now we have the administration willing to take action on climate change, so we might actually see policies put into place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Obama now has the opportunity to lay the groundwork for solid policies and to make more progress on this than we have in decades and set the stage for the next president."

She is available and can be reached by calling 914-815-5656.