TC Energy Corporation, the Canadian company building the XL Keystone Pipeline, announced on Wednesday that it has terminated the project after reviewing its options and consulting with the Government of Alberta, its partner in the project. This decision follows the United States government’s cancellation of a permit allowing the pipeline to be built.
The company suspended work on the project on Jan 20 after reports that the incoming Biden Administration planned to cancel the permit. As was expected, President Joe Biden cancelled permits for the 1,209-mile pipeline, which was designed to transport oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast in Texas, on his first day in office. The project led to over a decade of political debates and protests regarding the climate, energy, and indigenous tribal concerns.
TC Energy President and CEO François Poirier said in a statement, “we value the strong relationships we’ve built through the development of this Project and the experience we’ve gained. We remain grateful to the many organizations that supported the Project and would have shared in its benefits. … Through the process, we developed meaningful Indigenous equity opportunities and a first-of-its-kind, industry leading plan to operate the pipeline with net-zero emissions throughout its lifecycle. We will continue to identify opportunities to apply this level of ingenuity across our business going forward, including our current evaluation of the potential to power existing U.S. assets with renewable energy.”
Although the company is halting their attempts to continue this project, it said that there are still opportunities for it to continue its role in providing power throughout North America, it reportedly has other projects progressing and more under development. TC Energy claimed that its “infrastructure plays a critical role in powering the North American economy.”
The XL Keystone pipeline led to multiple environmental lawsuits, alleging that it would have harmful environmental effects on the land that it traveled through. One lawsuit filed by two Indian tribes was dismissed in May following the permit cancellation, and others are still in process.
