US leader calls for reviving Keystone XL pipeline

US President Donald Trump has expressed his strong desire to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, despite its developer has already walked away from the venture. 

In a post on his social media platform, Trump criticized the Biden administration, stating, “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!” Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

He went on to emphasize that his approach would be different from the current administration, offering “Easy approvals, almost immediate start!”

“If not them, perhaps another Pipeline Company,” Trump added, reinforcing his message, “We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built!” The $8 billion, 1,200-mile pipeline was initially designed to carry crude oil from Canada’s oil sands to Nebraska. It became a point of contention during Barack Obama’s presidency, which led to its rejection in 2015.

The project has remained a subject of political debate since then. Trump attempted to bring the pipeline back to life during his first term, but after Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, he revoked the necessary permit for the pipeline to cross the US-Canada border. South Bow Corp., the company that emerged from TC Energy Corp. after years of pursuing the Keystone XL project, has made it clear that it is no longer interested in reviving the pipeline. According to a company spokeswoman, parts of the pipeline have already been dismantled, and the necessary permits have expired. 

“We continue to engage with customers to develop options to increase Canadian oil supplies to meet growing US demand,” said Katie Stavinoha, South Bow's spokesperson. In his continued push, Trump previously signed an executive order to revoke the Biden administration’s cancellation of a March 2019 permit for the pipeline, potentially paving the way for its revival. However, Canada still faces the risk of new tariffs on crude oil exports to the US, including a 10 per cent levy. 

Trump has delayed the tariffs until March. Trump has repeatedly stressed that the US should rely more on its domestic oil and gas resources, rather than depending on neighbouring countries. His comments align with his broader push to breathe new life into energy projects, such as the Constitution pipeline that was meant to transport natural gas to New York. Despite the project's cancellation by its developer in 2020, Trump vowed to see it completed.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, during an interview on Fox News, emphasized Trump’s focus on energy infrastructure. “We want the Keystone XL pipeline built,” Leavitt said. “He wants a pipeline built in the northeast in New England, where I am from, where we have some of the highest electricity and utility rates in the country.”

By Naila Huseynova