The Keystone XL Pipeline has gotten the green light.
Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump said, "I’m pleased to announce the official approval of the Presidential permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. TransCanada will finally be allowed to complete this long-overdue project with efficiency and with speed. . . . It's going to be an incredible pipeline, greatest technology known to man or woman."
TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. (TransCanada) first applied in 2008 for a Presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and filed a new application in 2012 for the current 1,204 mile [1937 Km] pipeline route, but TransCanada’s 2008 and 2012 applications were denied by the previous administration. The company resubmitted its application for the project in January of this year, after President Trump invited it to do so in his Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
A spokesman for Canada's minister of natural resources said, Canada "has always been supportive of the Keystone XL pipeline and we are pleased with the U.S. decision."
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon, Jr. issued a Presidential permit to TransCanada authorizing the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of pipeline facilities at the U.S.-Canada border for the importation of crude oil.
The Department of State reviewed TransCanada’s resubmitted application and the Under Secretary determined that issuance of this permit would serve the national interest. The Under Secretary considered a variety of factors in making his determination, including but not limited to foreign policy; energy security; environmental, cultural, and economic impacts; and compliance with applicable law and policy.
Russ Girling, President of TransCanada, noted that pipelines are "the safest and most reliable way to move [oil and gas] products to market."
When completed, the Keystone XL pipeline will span approximately 900 miles [1448 Km] in the United States and have the capacity to deliver more than 800,000 barrels of oil per day to the Gulf Coast refineries.
The building of this pipeline, said President Trump, "is part of a new era of American energy policy that will reduce dependence on foreign oil, and create thousands of jobs right here in America."
