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Keystone XL Pipeline Tag

It's astounding that one of Joe Biden's first acts as president was to destroy thousands of jobs with the stroke of a pen. The people who lost their ability to provide for their families have spoken out, but their objections have fallen on deaf ears. Republicans, who are increasingly embracing working-class voters, are planning to make the Democrats pay a political price for this.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris has just ordered a halt to the construction of the $8 billion Keystone XL Pipeline, the next phase of the massive pipeline system, until further environmental analysis is conducted.
The decision comes as TransCanada is preparing to build the oil pipeline beginning in northern Montana, with pipe being shipped to the state by train and trucked to locations along the line.

According to reports, the State Department will approve the needed Keystone pipeline permit before Monday. The decision "comes 16 months after Obama blocked construction of the 1,200-mile pipeline." From Politico:
Undersecretary for political affairs Tom Shannon plans to sign the pipeline’s cross-border permit on or before Monday, the last day for the 60-day timeline that President Donald Trump ordered in January. Secretary of State and former Exxon Mobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson recused himself from the process.

President Trump has signed executive orders moving the approval process for the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines forward. This does not ensure approval and construction, but it restarts the processes stopped under the Obama administration under heavy pressure from environmental and left-wing activist groups. Stopping these pipelines was the most cherished of liberal causes, intertwined with climate change and identity politics causes. The Dakota pipeline protests became the white liberal "Burning Man," with virtue signaling reaching new heights. Anti-Israel protesters also tried to hijack the protests.

Earlier this week, the State Department rejected an industry request that they pause their review of the Keystone XL pipeline until the conclusion of negotiations between Nebraska policymakers and TransCanada officials. State rejected this request, and today, President Obama officially rejected TransCanada's request to build the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama's approval was required for the project's completion, as construction would cross an international border. More from the WSJ:
“The State Department has decided that the Keystone XL Pipeline would not serve the national interest of the U.S.,” President Barack Obama said in brief remarks from the White House. “I agree with that decision.”

Today the State Department informed TransCanada Corp. that the agency review of the Keystone XL pipeline and its associated permits will continue in spite of the corporation's request that the process be paused. TransCanada is currently in both a legal and logistical battle regarding the future pipeline’s route through Nebraska; the corporation submitted its original request for a pause to the State Department "out of respect for the process" of policy negotiations with lawmakers, activists, and property owners in Nebraska. More from the WSJ:
“We have communicated to them our intention to continue the review,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said. “We’re not required to pause it based on an applicant’s request, there’s no legal basis to do that.” Mr. Kirby added that a lot of interagency work has gone into reviewing the project.