CBC Canada is reporting that a briefing note listing “executive actions” planned for President-Elect Joe Biden’s first day in office included the words, “Rescind Keystone XL pipeline permit.”
However, according to Politico, the decision was not included in incoming chief of staff Ron Klain’s Saturday memo outlining Biden’s planned executive actions during the first days of his presidency. The briefing note, a portion of it seen by Politico, was widely circulated among Washington trade groups and lobbyists.
One of the first things President Donald Trump did after he took office was to sign an executive order on January 24, 2017, requesting that the Keystone XL operator TransCanada re-submit its application for a permit to construct the pipeline
This action was in keeping with Trump’s campaign promise to give permits for oil pipelines that had been put on hold during the Obama administration and was part of Trump’s plan to make the U.S. energy independent.
However, Biden has also made promises, and one of them was to negate Trump’s Keystone XL permit. The action is in line with Biden’s climate action plan that also includes rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.
Canada’s Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is hoping Trudeau will talk with Biden in the hopes of ensuring Keystone moves forward. “Keystone XL is a project of national significance that supports countless workers on both sides of the border,” he said in an emailed statement.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul welcomed the news, calling Biden’s potential actions a “contrast in leadership” to new offshore drilling projects greenlit by Canada’s environment minister earlier last week.
“I have consistently said Biden would indulge in this rescinding of the permit immediately because it’s something he has to do largely to follow through for expectations of his political base and many of his donors,” McConaghy told CBC’s Kyle Bakx on Sunday.
Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., said in a statement sent to The Canadian Press, had this to say: “The Government of Canada continues to support the Keystone XL project and the benefits that it will bring to both Canada and the United States.”