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2021-01-18 05:31:41 UTC
CBC News · Jan 17, 2021
Biden indicates plans to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit on 1st day in office, sources confirm
U.S. president-elect Joe Biden has indicated plans to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit via executive action on his first day in office, sources confirmed to CBC News on Sunday.
A purported briefing note from the Biden transition team mentioning the plan was widely circulated over the weekend after being shared by the incoming president's team with U.S. stakeholders.
The transition document suggests that Canada has not been able to persuade the incoming Biden administration of the benefits of the pipeline expansion project.
The words "Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit" appear on a list of executive actions supposedly scheduled for Day 1 of Biden's presidency.
The list shown to stakeholders is a lengthier version of a list already reported in the media based on a memo released publicly over the weekend by Biden's chief of staff Ronald Klain. That publicly reported memo from Klain did not mention Keystone XL, but cautioned that the memo was not a complete list of planned actions.
The Biden team has announced plans to sign dozens of executive orders in the incoming president's first few days in office.
Climate actions planned for first day
They include a raft of environmental policies to be enacted on the first day of his presidency, including re-joining the Paris climate accord. The note shown to stakeholders has led some to expect that the first-day climate actions will include the move to cancel the project to carry Canadian bitumen.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his first conversation with Biden as president-elect in November, indicated that he wanted to speak further about some potential irritants — including Keystone XL and Biden's proposed Buy American policies.
Biden foreshadowed such a cancellation months ago, announcing in a U.S. TV interview and through statements from his campaign team that he intended to cancel the $8-billion, cross-border pipeline.
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However, proponents of the project have been hoping that he might reconsider once in office.
Federal Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called on Trudeau to reach out to the incoming U.S. administration to ensure Keystone moves forward. "Keystone XL is a project of national significance that supports countless workers on both sides of the border," he said in an emailed statement.
However, Green Party Leader Annamie Paul welcomed the news, calling Biden's potential actions a "contrast in leadership" to new offshore drilling projects greenlit by Canada's environment minister earlier this week.
Former TC Energy executive Dennis McConaghy is not surprised the project is among the first decisions by the new administration.
"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's Kyle Bakx on Sunday.
The decision would likely lead to disappointment in the Canadian oilpatch, even after so many other setbacks for the project over the last decade.
"Ideally the project should have been completed and put into operation during the Trump administration," McConaghy said. "It's a very audacious thing that is being done here by the Biden administration."
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Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, suggested Canada's continued support of the pipeline was akin to "beating [a] dead horse."
"The Biden administration offers us a fresh start on addressing the climate crisis with a willing partner, so let's not blow it by pushing pipelines," Stewart said
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called the pipeline expansion a disaster in a tweet.
"With all of the major crises facing America, we must never lose sight of the most existential threat facing our planet: climate change," he wrote.
Biden indicates plans to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit on 1st day in office, sources confirm
U.S. president-elect Joe Biden has indicated plans to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit via executive action on his first day in office, sources confirmed to CBC News on Sunday.
A purported briefing note from the Biden transition team mentioning the plan was widely circulated over the weekend after being shared by the incoming president's team with U.S. stakeholders.
The transition document suggests that Canada has not been able to persuade the incoming Biden administration of the benefits of the pipeline expansion project.
The words "Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit" appear on a list of executive actions supposedly scheduled for Day 1 of Biden's presidency.
The list shown to stakeholders is a lengthier version of a list already reported in the media based on a memo released publicly over the weekend by Biden's chief of staff Ronald Klain. That publicly reported memo from Klain did not mention Keystone XL, but cautioned that the memo was not a complete list of planned actions.
The Biden team has announced plans to sign dozens of executive orders in the incoming president's first few days in office.
Climate actions planned for first day
They include a raft of environmental policies to be enacted on the first day of his presidency, including re-joining the Paris climate accord. The note shown to stakeholders has led some to expect that the first-day climate actions will include the move to cancel the project to carry Canadian bitumen.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his first conversation with Biden as president-elect in November, indicated that he wanted to speak further about some potential irritants — including Keystone XL and Biden's proposed Buy American policies.
Biden foreshadowed such a cancellation months ago, announcing in a U.S. TV interview and through statements from his campaign team that he intended to cancel the $8-billion, cross-border pipeline.
Loading Image...
Biden to use executive actions to roll back Trump policies on 1st day in office
Biden's pick for energy secretary could mean trouble for Alberta's oilpatch, experts say
However, proponents of the project have been hoping that he might reconsider once in office.
Federal Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole called on Trudeau to reach out to the incoming U.S. administration to ensure Keystone moves forward. "Keystone XL is a project of national significance that supports countless workers on both sides of the border," he said in an emailed statement.
However, Green Party Leader Annamie Paul welcomed the news, calling Biden's potential actions a "contrast in leadership" to new offshore drilling projects greenlit by Canada's environment minister earlier this week.
Former TC Energy executive Dennis McConaghy is not surprised the project is among the first decisions by the new administration.
"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's Kyle Bakx on Sunday.
The decision would likely lead to disappointment in the Canadian oilpatch, even after so many other setbacks for the project over the last decade.
"Ideally the project should have been completed and put into operation during the Trump administration," McConaghy said. "It's a very audacious thing that is being done here by the Biden administration."
[- - -]
Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, suggested Canada's continued support of the pipeline was akin to "beating [a] dead horse."
"The Biden administration offers us a fresh start on addressing the climate crisis with a willing partner, so let's not blow it by pushing pipelines," Stewart said
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders called the pipeline expansion a disaster in a tweet.
"With all of the major crises facing America, we must never lose sight of the most existential threat facing our planet: climate change," he wrote.