Keystone XL – Obscure Taxpayer-Funded Program Bankrolls Anti-Pipeline Activists

Keystone XL – Obscure Taxpayer-Funded Program Bankrolls Anti-Pipeline Activists

The long-running battle over the Keystone XL pipeline ended last November with President Obama rejecting the project. He did so in large part because of aggressive campaigning by environmental groups that are simultaneously engaged in dozens of other anti-pipeline efforts across the country.

Such battles do not come cheap. Nationwide, anti-pipeline advocacy organizations, both small and large, have turned to a little-known education and awareness grant program through the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fund their efforts, tapping into taxpayer money as they simultaneously work to halt projects that supporters say would aid in economic development and job creation.

The Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program was created by Congress in 2009 to allow...