Trump Expresses Support for Keystone XL Pipeline Construction

WASHINGTON, February 24 (Reuters)  Republican President Donald Trump declared on Monday that he wanted the Keystone XL Pipeline built and promised smooth regulatory clearances for the project, which environmentalists had opposed for years before the Biden administration revoked its permit.

The pipeline was first proposed in 2008 to transport oil from Canada's Western tar sands to U.S. refiners. Still, development was suspended in 2021 by then-owner TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO), opening a new tab after former Democratic President Joe Biden rejected a key permit required for a U.S. segment of the project.

In a social media tweet on Monday, Trump invited the business building the pipeline to "come back to America," claiming that his administration would provide smooth clearances and an almost quick start.

 

"The Trump administration is considerably different (from the Biden administration): easy clearances and nearly rapid start! If not, consider another pipeline company. "We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built," Trump wrote in the article.

 

Trump's post did not mention a specific corporation; instead, it referred to the one that had previously built the pipeline.

TC Energy sold off its oil pipeline operations in October of last year, forming a new company called South Bow Energy (SOBO.TO).

Opponents of the pipeline have fought its development for years, claiming it was unnecessary and would impede the United States' transition to cleaner fuels.

The Keystone XL pipeline was supposed to transport 830,000 barrels per day of Alberta oil sands petroleum to Nebraska. However, the project was delayed due to opposition from US landowners, Native American tribes, and environmentalists.

Trump approved a permit for the line in 2017, but legal hurdles continued to impede construction.  Biden had promised to terminate the project during his 2020 campaign and revoked the permit shortly after taking office in 2021.