Keystone Pipeline Project Canceled
The Keystone XL Pipeline is officially history as TC Energy announced last week the decision to terminate the project.
The project, which aimed to carry oil from the tar sands of Canada into the United States, had its permit revoked by President Biden in January. The project was anticipated to carry about 830,000 barrels of oil sands crude daily to Nebraska.
Republican leaders in Montana noted that Biden was at fault for the project being stopped.
“This is devastating news for our economy, jobs, environment and national security - and its entirely President Biden’s fault. It’s beyond clear that President Biden is beholden to extreme environmentalists, and Montanans and the American people are bearing the burden,” U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said. “While President Biden killed the American Keystone XL pipeline, he continues to support the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Biden would rather support Russian workers and jobs than Americans. Montanans and the American people are disappointed.”
Daines, who introduced a bill in January to authorize continued construction of the pipeline, noted Keystone XL underwent extensive environmental review and was found to be the safest and most environmentally friendly method to transport oil.
U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont, released the statement, “President Biden owes Montanans an explanation as to why he decided to pull the Keystone XL Pipeline permit. This killed a project that was going to be critical to Montana. The administration has reversed over a decade of planning for our local governments, cut funding for our school systems, and sacrificed the communities that were dependent on revenue from this project to get through the pandemic. We are already seeing the price of Biden’s war on energy independence, and I fear its impact will only get worse.”
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte visited Phillips and Valley counties in February to hear about the impacts of shutting down the pipeline project.
“President Biden’s decision to shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline project is devastating to Montana. Today, we heard from Montanans who invested millions in their businesses in anticipation of this project and the economic boost it would bring their communities,” Gianforte said at that time.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, noted that he has worked to build the Keystone XL pipeline and bring its job and tax benefits to Eastern Montana for more than a decade. He urged the Biden Administration to reverse its decision to cancel the permit and come back to the table to sit down with stakeholders including TC Energy and Montana’s tribes to chart a path forward on the job-creating project together.
“I am bitterly disappointed to learn that construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will no longer be moving forward. I supported this project for years because of the good-paying jobs and tax revenue it would have created for the folks who live and work in Montana,” Tester said. “It’s frustrating that national politics killed a project that would have yielded big benefits for our state, but I am going to keep fighting to create jobs in rural Montana, ensure our energy independence and get our state’s economy firing on all cylinders.”
Although Roosevelt County wasn’t going to experience increased tax revenue directly from the pipeline, Roosevelt County commissioners noted that 27 Montana counties spanning from Phillips County to Fallon County were going to see significant impacts.
When Biden revoked the pipeline’s permit in January, Fort Peck Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure commended the decision.
“It’s been a long, hardfought battle,” Azure said at that time. “We’re glad it’s over, and just hope it remains that way.”
Azure said his largest concerns were possible contamination of both the Milk and Missouri rivers. He noted that these are the last water resources in this region.
“I have 30,000 people I have to worry about and whether they will get water,” Azure said.
