Energy company wants US$15 billion from the Biden administration for blocking the Keystone XL pipeline
By: Alexis Benveniste
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Energy company wants US$15 billion from the Biden administration for blocking the Keystone XL pipeline
n this Dec. 18, 2020 photo, pipes to be used for the Keystone XL pipeline are stored in a field near Dorchester, Neb. (Chris Machian /Omaha World-Herald via AP)
TC Energy Corporation, the company that developed the Keystone XL pipeline project, is seeking to recover more than US$15 billion in damages from the United States, claiming the U.S. government breached its free trade obligations when it revoked the permit for the project.
The energy company announced in June that it is pulling the plug on the controversial Keystone pipeline project after the Biden administration revoked the permit on the president's first day in the White House. The announcement ended more than a decade of controversy over the pipeline, marking a win for environmentalists who argued the project would worsen the climate crisis.
To recover economic damages from the project's cancellation, TC Energy on Friday filed a Notice of Intent with the U.S. State Department to initiate a legacy NAFTA claim under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the company said in a statement .
When the permit cancellation was announced, TC Energy warned that it would "directly lead to the layoff of thousands of union workers."
The project, which aimed to carry oil from the tar sands of Canada into the United States, has been the subject of controversy for years, igniting conversations about environmental, political and social justice issues. The end of the Keystone XL project could push environmentalists to pressure Biden to end other projects, including Line 3 and the Dakota Access pipeline.
The news of TC Energy suing the U.S. government came right before a leaky gas pipeline burst in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a fire in the body of water.
"We're just not treating [climate change] like the planetary emergency it is," Emily Atkin, founder of the Heated newsletter and MSNBC contributor, told CNN's Chief Media Correspondent Brian Stelter on "Reliable Sources" Sunday. "Right now, everyone should be a climate reporter," she said. "And if you're not a climate reporter right now, you will be, whether you realize it or not."
-- CNN's Matt Egan contributed to this report.
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A conundrum - a cost for doing it or a cost for not doing it.
Just wait until the next train derailment of outdated, out of repair, and unreliable tanker cars carrying the oil tar sand. I am sure the environmentalist morons this that shutting down the pipeline project is going to stop the material from moving. Since it is already moving via normal tanker truck and rail tanker car; nothing will change. The cost of transportation will go up and the amount of material being moved will be reduced. Leaking oil pipeline; or complete loss after a train derailment. Careful what you wish for environmentalists; you are going to get it.
Part of me hopes the company wins it's lawsuit against the Biden administration; it will be the perfect kick to his gut coupled with the rising gas prices and inflation. Of course it will the US taxpayer will be paying for his stupidity. Wonder if we can sue the moron in charge to get our money back?
I assume there's hope that the need for oil will be reduced a lot while EVs become more plentiful.