Construction on the proposed 1,100-mile pipeline running from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean has been stopped due to BP’s failure to get construction permits. Environmental authorities in Georgia found that the British Petroleum-led consortium that is responsible for building the pipeline failed to get the proper clearances. Georgia\'s environment ministry reportedly sent BP a formal reminder that BP must apply for construction permits to undertake any operations in the region, but the company failed to respond, beginning construction anyway. Rusudan Medzmariasvhili, a BP representative said, \"The Georgian government wants independent experts to conduct safety tests.” BP hopes to get the necessary paperwork in by the first week of August. Environmentalists are hopeful that the delay might cause the new President of the Georgian government, Mikhail Saakashvili, to take a new look at the project and its route. The region of the Borjomi Valley, which the pipeline is due to interrupt, is full of alpine forests and mineral spas. Environmental are also worried that seismic activity in the area could result in major spills. The pipeline will run from Baku in Azerbaijan through Tbilisi to Ceyhan, Turkey and is due to be completed by next January. The project is costing $3.6 billion. The pipeline construction is now 70 percent completed. (Ecolinks News)