Judge’s Ruling on Keystone XL Permits Presents Regulatory Uncertainty
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris revoked a key permit yesterday for the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, citing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately consider effects on endangered species in the water bodies that the pipeline would cross. The ruling does not shut down work that has begun at the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Montana, but TC Energy, the pipeline’s developer, will need a reissued permit for future construction across the rivers and streams along Keystone XL’s 1,200 mile route from Alberta to Nebraska.
Below is a statement that can be attributed to me, Craig Stevens, spokesman for the GAIN Coalition:
“Yesterday’s ruling on Keystone XL’s Clean Water Act permits is concerning for the future of American energy. Keystone XL was permitted after years of careful review and received the necessary approval from both the U.S. Army Corps and State Department. But the pipeline’s decade-long permitting battle has energy developers thinking twice before investing in new energy infrastructure projects. Infrastructure development, like Keystone XL, requires regulatory certainty and a straightforward permitting process that ensures these investments, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, are able to proceed with construction and safely operate once completed.”
