State Dept. OKs construction of Enbridge oil pipeline

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Construction work on an oil pipeline that would bring crude oil from Canada to the U.S. through Minnesota will begin in the next few days, after the company building it received a permit from the U.S. State Department.

The Presidential Permit issued Thursday to Enbridge Inc. allows the company to build the Alberta Clipper pipeline, which will run from Superior, Wis., to Hardisty, Alberta in Canada.

In a news release, the State Department calls Canada a "stable and reliable ally" and said increasing capacity for Canadian crude oil to reach the U.S. will advance U.S. strategic interests.

Environmental groups had urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to reject the permit, saying the way the oil is extracted from Canada's oil sands uses too much energy and contributes to global warming.