President Vladimir V. Putin declared today that an oil pipeline being built across Siberia should be rerouted significantly further away from the northern shore of Lake Baikal, one of the world’s natural landmarks.

Mr. Putin’s decision reversed a controversial government decision last month to allow the country’s pipeline monopoly, Transneft, to build the pipeline within a half mile of Baikal, the world’s most voluminous fresh-water lake.

Full Story: New York Times.