This March 11, 2020 photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management shows the proposed route of the Keystone XL oil pipeline where it crosses into the U.S. from Canada in Phillips County, Montana. (Al Nash/Bureau of Land Management via AP)
By Rob Gillies
The Canadian company behind the Keystone XL oil pipeline said Wednesday it has suspended work on the pipeline in anticipation of incoming U.S. President Joe Biden revoking its permit.
Biden’s Day One plans included moving to revoke a presidential permit for the pipeline.
The 1,700-mile (2,735-kilometer) pipeline would carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
“As a result of the expected revocation of the Presidential Permit, advancement of the project will be suspended,” the Calgary, Alberta-based company said in a statement.
First proposed in 2008, the pipeline has become emblematic of the tensions between economic development and curbing the fossil fuel emissions that are causing climate change. The Obama administration rejected it, but President Donald Trump revived it and has been a strong supporter. Construction already started.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, said Canada needs to move on now that Biden has made a decision.
“Of course we’re disappointed. We worked hard over the past number of months trying to make the case for Keystone XL," Hillman told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
“He had made a commitment during his campaign and he lived up to that commitment. I think we have to accept that and move forward.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised Keystone XL as a top priority when he spoke with Biden in a phone call in November. The project is meant to expand critical oil exports for Canada, which has the third-largest oil reserves in the world.
Jason Kenney, premier of the oil-rich province of Alberta, said late Tuesday he urged Trudeau to tell Biden that “rescinding the Keystone XL border crossing permit would damage the Canada-US bilateral relationship.”
Trudeau and Biden are politically aligned and there are expectations for a return to normal relations after four years of Trump, but the pipeline is an early irritant as Biden has long said he would cancel it.
Trudeau has tried to balance the oil industry’s desire for more pipelines with environmentalists’ concerns. He canceled one major pipeline to the Pacific coast from oil-rich Alberta, but approved another and instituted a national carbon tax.
The United Nations COP26 climate talks are scheduled for October 31 to November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. Heads of state will be joined by private sector leaders to once again discuss the shrinking window of time left to take action against global temperature rise. Barbara Humpton, CEO of focused technology company Siemens U.S., is also attending and spoke to Cheddar about what she hopes to see during the conference for both the public and private spheres. "What we are really urging is that there are large commitments made in Glasgow and that we really commit to this next decade of action," she said.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Rewire News Group and co-host of the Rewire News Group podcast, 'Boom! Lawyered,' joins Cheddar News to discuss the Supreme Court decision to hear Texas abortion ban cases on Monday, November first and the complicated timeline of legal challenges up to this point.
According to new research by Twitter, the social media platform algorithm amplifies content from the "political right" rather than those on the left. The company says this data comes as the platform has been taking the time to research the implications of its algorithm and whether or not it has caused any "unknown harm". President and CEO of Media Matters for America Angelo Carusone, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments in the Alec Baldwin prop gun shooting, when vaccines for kids as young as 5 should be approved, new reporting on Facebook and more.
Dana Sussman, deputy executive director at the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, joined Cheddar News to talk about Brittney Poolaw, who was sentenced to four years in state prison for a miscarriage she suffered last year.
Despite Joe Biden having won the state of Virginia in 2021 by 10 points, the race between his fellow Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Glenn Youngkin has tightened considerably down to the wire. Dave Levinthal, the deputy Washington bureau chief for Insider, joined Cheddar to give his analysis of the bellwether gubernatorial race in the year before the midterm elections.
Laura Vozzella, local reporter for the Washington Post, joins Cheddar News to discuss the razor-thin edge Democrat Terry McAuliffe has over Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election.
A judge has temporarily put on hold United Airlines' unpaid leave policy for workers who claimed either religious or medical exemptions from COVID vaccinations. Six workers filed a suit against the company, calling the policy unreasonable.
President Joe Biden took to the podium to discuss the deal that will keep the Port of Los Angeles open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week as the nation grapples with supply chain issues.
