Susan Rice, a potential nominee to lead the State Department, holds stock in TransCanada, the company behind the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline.

Rice, currently the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, owns between $300,000 and $600,000 in TransCanada stock, OnEarth Magazine reported. Her holdings would presumably bar her from making a decision on the pipeline if she were nominated and confirmed to lead the department.

Tribes along the path of the pipeline and First Nations in Canada oppose the project, citing threats to the environment. Rice's husband is from Canada and, together, the couple owns stock in numerous energy firms in that country, OnEarth reported.

TransCanada has said it doesn't have a duty to consult tribes in the U.S. about the pipeline because it wouldn't directly cross any reservations. But the path does pass through burial grounds, sacred sites and treaty territory.

As the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Rice announced the Obama administration's decision to reconsider the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The State Department announced support for the UNDRIP in December 2010.

Get the Story:
Secretary of State Candidate Has a Major Financial Stake in Canadian Tar Sands (OnEarth Magazine 11/28)

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TransCanada claims no duty to consult tribes on Keystone (09/18)
Judge in Texas allows taking of land for Keystone XL Pipeline (8/24)
Water a major concern in controversy for Keystone XL Pipeline (8/7)
Opinion: More tribal consultation needed on Keystone XL permit (7/24)
Native Sun News: TransCanada still pushing for Keystone XL (05/14)
Texas family fights attempt to use land for Keystone Pipeline (05/08)