Kenney wants Biden to hear pitch
TORONTO — The premier of oil-rich Alberta wants President-elect Joe Biden to give the Canadian government a chance to make the case for the Keystone XL pipeline to be built.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Monday he will seek legal damages if reports are true that Biden plans to scrap the pipeline on his first day as U.S. president. Biden’s plan is outlined in transition documents seen by Canadian media outlets.
“We hope President-elect Biden will show respect for Canada and will sit down and at the very least talk to us,” Kenney said.
The 2,735-kilometre pipeline would carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
First proposed in 2008, the pipeline has become emblematic of the tensions between economic development and curbing fossil fuel emissions causing climate change. The Obama administration rejected it, but President Donald Trump revived it and has been a strong supporter. Construction has started.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised Keystone XL as a top priority when he spoke with President-elect Biden in a phone call in November.