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Obama to fast-track oil pipeline

 
taking refuge outside: A family chooses to sleep outside Wednesday in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico, for fear that aftershocks from Tuesday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake could cause their house to collapse. Officials said no deaths and few injuries were reported, even after 10 aftershocks. Seismologists said where and how the quake hit limited the damage.
taking refuge outside: A family chooses to sleep outside Wednesday in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico, for fear that aftershocks from Tuesday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake could cause their house to collapse. Officials said no deaths and few injuries were reported, even after 10 aftershocks. Seismologists said where and how the quake hit limited the damage.
Published March 22, 2012

boulder city, nev.

Obama putting oil pipeline segment on fast track

President Barack Obama will direct federal agencies to fast-track an oil pipeline from Oklahoma to Texas, backing a segment of the larger Keystone XL project that he rejected earlier this year. The 485-mile line from Cushing, Okla., to refineries on Texas' Gulf Coast would remove a critical bottleneck in the oil transportation system, as rising production has outgrown pipelines' capacity to deliver oil to refineries. The directive, to be announced today, also applies to other pipelines that alleviate choke points.

portland, ore.

Three grocers stop buying 'pink slime'

At least three national supermarket operators will stop buying ground beef containing the filler known as "pink slime." Federal regulators say the filler, called in the industry "lean, finely textured beef," meets food safety standards. But critics say it could be unsafe and is an unappetizing example of industrialized food production. Supervalu Inc., whose stores include Albertsons and Shop 'n Save, said Wednesday that customer concern prompted it to stop carrying products containing the filler. The Food Lion chain and Safeway also are making the change.

concord, n.h.

House rejects repeal of gay marriage law

Lawmakers rejected a bill Wednesday that would have made their state Legislature the first to repeal a gay marriage law. The state House voted 211-116 to kill the measure, ending a push by its new Republican majority to rescind the state's 2-year-old gay marriage law. Nevertheless, both sides are pledging to continue fighting into the fall elections.

Times wires