TransCanada is expected to reapply as early as today for permission to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that would carry crude oil from the Alberta tar sands to the Gulf Coast. The news comes just weeks after many Democrats joined with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a measure that would expedite the pipeline’s approval. President Obama has sought to delay a decision on the pipeline until after the presidential election. The multi-billion-dollar project has faced mass protests from activists who say it would devastate the environment.