US court rules against permit for Keystone XL pipeline just two weeks after construction begins
TC Energy’s Keystone XL pipeline has suffered a fresh setback after a US court ruled against a permit that allows new energy pipelines to cross bodies of water.
The ruling on the 15th April comes just two weeks after TC Energy announced that construction of the pipeline would go ahead following a US$1.1 billion investment by the Alberta government.
Montana Chief District Judge Brian Morris ruled that when issuing a nationwide permit for Keystone XL in 2017, the US Army Corp of Engineers had failed to consider the risks posed to endangered species and habitats in rivers and bodies of water which the pipeline would be crossing.
The ruling is another setback for the long-delayed project which was first proposed in 2008. If completed, the pipeline will be 1,210 miles (1,947 kilometres) in length and carry around 830,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
This latest ruling does not affect a span of the pipeline across the Canada-US border where work began just two weeks ago. However, TC Energy will need to re-apply for the relevant permit for any future construction in areas where the pipeline will cross water.
The ruling came after several activist groups challenged the US Army Corp of Engineers’ re-issuance of a nationwide permit in 2017. Nationwide permits help streamline the approval of pipelines and utility lines but must be reissued every five years.
Judge Morris declared that the Corps failed to consult on the risks posed to endangered species and habitats and must comply with the ruling before it can reissue the nationwide permit to any more projects.
A spokesman for TC Energy said that the Alberta-based company is reviewing the decision, but remains committed to building the “important energy infrastructure project.”
Source: HazardEx Magazine