Staff Reports
President-elect Donald Trump is gearing up to take a strong stance against the Biden administration’s anti-energy policies by reviving the Keystone XL pipeline. This project, stretching 1,200 miles from Canada to Nebraska, is poised to be one of the first targets of Trump’s agenda on his inaugural day. While reports suggest a wave of excitement over the potential jobs and economic boosts that would accompany such a move, industry insiders are less optimistic about the feasibility of actually bringing this project back from the dead. The hurdles posed by Biden’s reign are not just bureaucratic, they’re practically mountainous.
The Keystone XL pipeline has a long and storied history, dating back to 2008 when TransCanada, now called TC Energy, first proposed the project. The pipeline’s southern leg, often referred to as the Gulf Coast Pipeline, was completed in August 2019, leading observers to wonder just how far the Keystone XL could have progressed had it not fallen victim to the whims of Obama and Biden. Both presidents, intent on appeasing environmental extremists, chose to close the door on a project that could generate thousands of jobs and billions in economic gains. Biden’s decision to terminate the permit has been described as a hallmark of crony capitalism, embodying everything that’s wrong with political decision-making today.
'DRILL, BABY, DRILL': Some of former President-elect Trump's supporters are "on cloud nine" as the new administration reportedly plans to revive the Keystone XL Pipeline project, which President Biden shut down in 2021. https://t.co/eYsrcZpPDB pic.twitter.com/c8noRn3wCU
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 25, 2024
There’s no denying that Trump’s potential revival of the Keystone XL could be a mere symbolic action in the face of monumental obstacles. It’s not as simple as flipping a switch; the entire permitting process would need to restart from scratch. This means dealing with the endless maze of state and federal approval, plus the inevitable lawsuits thrown up by anti-fossil fuel activists, who would rather watch communities suffer than see the carbon-rich resources develop. Given how TC Energy has already dismantled portions of the project and sold off assets, the idea of resurrecting Keystone XL resembles attempting to revive a dinosaur—charming in theory, painful in execution.
Energy expert David Blackmon argues that the uncertainty created by Biden’s actions has made it much harder for companies across the board to secure financing for future infrastructure projects. Investors and corporations are now hesitant to bet on anything where the rulebook can be rewritten with the change of administration. This situation places all energy initiatives in a precarious position and ultimately results in states like West Virginia and Virginia, struggling to navigate their own energy infrastructures amid fear of looming legal battles fueled by environmental lobbyists.
Ironically, while environmentalists celebrate the Keystone shutdown, the energy production in both the U.S. and Canada has reportedly soared to record highs during Biden’s presidency. The unfortunate truth is that the lack of pipelines has forced oil and petroleum products onto riskier transportation methods, such as rail and trucks, which are both more dangerous and environmentally unfriendly. So, when arguments touting the environmental benefits of halting fossil fuel projects are thrown around, they might get a few chuckles from those who recognize the absurdity of the logic. It seems that climate change activists are preaching sustainability, only to push progress backward into more dangerous and polluting methods of oil transportation.
Looking ahead, Trump’s new administration will likely prioritize streamlining the permitting process for energy projects – whether this will translate into actual changes remains to be seen. While the specifics are yet to be determined, the goal of fostering a friendly environment for energy development once more would mark a sizeable shift in the trajectory of American energy policy. This pivot, if successfully executed, would not only benefit the economy, but also remind those in power that reliable energy is a cornerstone of modern life. The battle for Keystone XL is just one small skirmish in the larger war against the anti-energy agenda, but it’s a significant one nonetheless.
