Trump wants controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline to be built
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Former Democratic president Joe Biden revoked a key permit needed for a US stretch of the Keystone crude oil pipeline.
PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON – Republican US President Donald Trump said in a post late on Feb 24 that he wants the Keystone XL Pipeline built and pledged easy regulatory approvals for the crude oil project, which was opposed for years by environmentalists before its permit was revoked by the Biden administration.
The US$9 billion pipeline was first proposed in 2008 to bring 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada’s western tar sands to US refiners and was halted in 2021 by then owner TC Energy after former Democratic president Joe Biden revoked a key permit needed for a US stretch of the project.
In a social media post on Feb 24, Mr Trump urged the company that was building the pipeline to “come back to America”, saying his administration would offer easy approvals and an almost immediate start, though the company said on Feb 25 that it had moved on from the project.
“The Trump administration is very different (from the Biden administration) – Easy approvals, almost immediate start! If not them, perhaps another pipeline company. We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built,” Mr Trump said in the post.
Mr Trump’s post did not name a company and referred only to the one that was building the pipeline earlier.
TC Energy spun off its oil pipeline business in October 2024 into a new company named South Bow Energy.
“We’ve moved on from the Keystone XL project,” said South Bow spokeswoman Katie Stavinoha in an e-mail on Feb 25.
“We continue to engage with customers to develop options to increase Canadian oil supplies to meet growing demand.”
TC Energy has sought to recover more than US$15 billion (S$20 billion) from the US government for the cancellation of its Keystone XL project.
Opponents of that pipeline had fought its construction for years, saying it was unnecessary and would hamper the US transition to cleaner fuels.
The Keystone XL pipeline project was delayed due to opposition from US landowners, Native American tribes and environmentalists.
Mr Trump approved a permit for the line in 2017, but it continued to face legal challenges that hampered construction.
Mr Biden committed to cancelling the project during his 2020 campaign, and revoked the permit soon after taking office in 2021. REUTERS
