After years of starts, stops, delays and stiff resistance from environmentalists, the Keystone XL oil pipeline is set to move forward.
The Trump administration is expected to green-light the highly controversial project in the next several days, paving the way for the type of massive infrastructure project the president promised during his campaign. The State Department, which halted Keystone in late 2015 during then-President Barack Obama’s tenure, reportedly will approve the pipeline no later than Monday — 60 days after President Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to revisit it.
If constructed, Keystone would transport oil from Alberta, Canada, through the U.S. heartland to refineries on the Gulf Coast.
News of the looming approval drew praise from pipeline proponents who say it’s long past time to put the politics of the project in the rear-view mirror.
“This is a safe and efficient way to move crude from Canada through the Midwest to the Gulf Coast, but was subject to years of political delay, even though there was no evidence of a significant impact on climate change. The southern part is completed, it’s time to complete the rest of the line,” Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma Republican, said in a statement.
Indeed, while the Obama administration cited climate change in its rationale for stopping Keystone, the State Department’s own research has shown the pipeline will have no significant impact on North American greenhouse gas emissions. That same research also found that the project will create more than 40,000 jobs.
But environmental activists say they’ll continue fighting. Powerful green groups such as the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council and others are planning a conference call Friday to outline their legal strategy to stop Keystone.
They point to the fact that the pipeline’s route through Nebraska still has legal hurdles to clear, meaning the administration’s approval won’t be the final word.
Other environmental groups say they’ll file lawsuits in an effort to stop Keystone in court. More broadly, they hope to turn public opinion against the project.
“For almost a decade, Americans have fought to stop the dirty Keystone XL pipeline from polluting their air and water. We banded together to turn this pipeline into a leadership test on climate change and Trump flunked the exam,” Erich Pica, president of the environmental group Friends of the Earth, said in a statement. “Trump’s decision will galvanize Americans, and further stiffen resistance to Trump’s campaign to sacrifice our planet for Big Oil profits. The fight over Keystone XL is not over. Friends of the Earth will go to the states and the courts to ensure that Keystone XL never becomes a reality.”
TransCanada, the company that would construct the pipeline, said it anticipates a decision in the coming days but would not comment further.
Project opponents also are pointing to recent news that, despite Mr. Trump’s vow that all new pipelines will be built with American products, Keystone won’t be constructed with all U.S. steel.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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