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Biden to Kill Keystone XL Pipeline on First Day in Office

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President-elect Joe Biden plans to revoke the permits allowing the Keystone XL pipeline to be built on the day he takes office, according to multiple reports.

What was reported as a briefing note from Biden’s transition team said the action would be part of Biden’s climate change gestures, according to Canada’s CBC.

The words “Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit” appear on a list of actions planned for Wednesday, the network reported.

The move was also reported by Politico, which cited sources it did not name.

Biden has long opposed the project, which is planned to carry oil from the oil sands in Alberta across the border and into Nebraska. Former President Barack Obama had denied a permit for the pipeline in 2015. Putting the project in motion was a key priority for President Donald Trump.

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Stef Feldman, a policy director for Biden, said in a May statement to USA Today that Biden would “proudly stand in the Roosevelt Room again as President and stop it for good.”

The project had faced fierce opposition from many Native Americans who said it would pollute their lands.

Erin O’Toole, the leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to lobby for the project.

“Keystone XL is a project of national significance that supports countless workers on both sides of the border,” O’Toole said in an emailed statement, according to CBC.

Dennis McConaghy, former executive of Alberta-based TC Energy, said he is not surprised the project is on the chopping block. TC Energy is the company leading the pipeline project.

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“I have consistently said Biden would indulge in this rescinding of the permit immediately because it’s something he has to do largely to follow through for expectations of his political base and many of his donors,” McConaghy told CBC.

“Ideally the project should have been completed and put into operation during the Trump administration,” he said. “It’s a very audacious thing that is being done here by the Biden administration.”

Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., said the project is important to Canada.

“The Government of Canada continues to support the Keystone XL project and the benefits that it will bring to both Canada and the United States,” she said in a statement.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the pipeline’s cancellation “would kill jobs on both sides of the border, weaken the critically important Canada-U.S. relationship and undermine U.S. national security by making the United States more dependent on OPEC oil imports in the future.”

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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