The project, which was rejected by the Obama administration for violating climate protection goals, was approved by Trump.
US President-elect Joe Biden plans to cancel approval for the $ 9 billion Keystone XL pipeline project as one of his first acts, possibly on its very first day, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, had made building the pipeline a key promise in his presidential campaign. Biden, who will be inaugurated on Wednesday, was vice president in the administration of Democrat Barack Obama when he opposed the project in violation of his efforts to combat climate change.
According to a previous report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the words “Rescind Keystone XL Pipeline Approval” appear on a list of executive actions expected to take place on the first day of Biden’s presidency.
Biden had promised to cancel the oil pipeline’s presidential license if he became president.
Canada’s ambassador to the United States said she will continue to sponsor a project that she believes fits with both countries’ environmental plans. “There is no better partner for the US in climate protection than Canada as we are working together on a green transition,” said Ambassador Kirsten Hillman in a statement.
A controversial project
The Keystone XL pipeline, slowed by legal issues in the US, has been controversial since it was first proposed more than 10 years ago. The 1,897 km long segment is intended to transport oil from the Canadian province of Alberta through the US states of Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska and then connect to an existing network that supplies crude oil to the Gulf Coast. The line would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day.
Opponents argue that this will stimulate the development of Canadian oil sands and contribute to climate change. Canada’s oil industry argues that the project is needed to provide heavy crude oil to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast that need the oil to replace declining quantities from Latin America.
The project also met opposition from environmentalists who wanted to control the expansion of the oil sands by opposing new pipelines to bring the crude oil to refineries.
Alberta Prime Minister Jason Kenney said on Twitter that the cancellation would cut jobs, weaken US-Canada relations and undermine US national security by making it more dependent on OPEC oil imports. TC Energy Corp., which operates the pipeline, said it would achieve net-zero emissions when commissioned by 2023. The company also pledged to use only renewable energy sources by 2030 to enlist Biden’s support.
Construction in Canada is in full swing and the international border crossing is complete. In the US, TC has started building pumping stations in each of the states the route will pass through, but legal setbacks have cost it much of the 2020 construction season.
Former Democratic President Barack Obama stopped the project in 2015, saying Canada would get most of its economic benefits, while the project would increase greenhouse gas emissions.
Trump issued a presidential permit in 2017 that allowed the line to move forward, and several environmental groups sued the U.S. government.
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