Trump Calls for Revival of Keystone XL Pipeline Project Axed by Biden

AFP/APP

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump on Monday called for the revival of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline project, which was blocked by his successor, President Joe Biden.

Biden had formally rescinded a permit for the pipeline—first proposed in 2008—by executive order on his first day in office in January 2021, citing environmental concerns and reversing the stance taken by Trump during his first term.

The project, long supported by Canada, faced fierce opposition from environmental activists and Indigenous groups, who organized protests in Washington, Ottawa, and other affected areas.

“The company building the Keystone XL Pipeline that was viciously jettisoned by the incompetent Biden Administration should come back to America, and get it built – NOW!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to the Canadian company TC Energy, which was involved in the project.

TC Energy had argued that importing oil from Canada, a friendly neighboring country, would reduce US dependence on oil from adversarial nations.

The 1,210-mile (1,950-kilometer) pipeline, part of which was already completed, was designed to transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta’s oil sands to Nebraska. From there, the oil would flow through an existing system to refineries in coastal Texas.

Although Canadian regulators had approved the project in 2010, it was blocked by US President Barack Obama in 2015 due to environmental concerns. This decision was reversed by Trump in 2017.