TransCanada Reapplies for Keystone Permit

Keystone XL permit | BCBusiness
TransCanada has resubmitted plans for its embattled Keystone XL pipeline for approval from U.S. President Barack Obama.

The Canadian oil company resubmits its presidential application for its controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

TransCanada once again has left the cross-border portion of their embattled pipeline in the hands of U.S. President Barack Obama.
 
On Friday, the company resubmitted its plans for the leg of the pipeline crossing from Hardisty, Alta., into the U.S. The plans cover the route’s sections through Montana and South Dakota, but a final decision on the particularly controversial portion through Nebraska is still up in the air.
 
TransCanada filed plans for a new route with the state of Nebraska about two weeks ago, which avoids the state’s sensitive Sandhills region – a major point of contention with the president and environmental groups. Even if the revised route is kiboshed, TransCanada will seemingly jump through as many bureaucratic and environmental hoops as necessary to get this project going.
 
The company hopes the new plans will get the president’s stamp of approval if he’s re-elected for office this November, and plans to begin construction in early 2013. Obama won’t handle a political hot potato such as Keystone until after the upcoming election and, in all likelihood, the crucial need for jobs in the U.S. will win out over any potential environmental concerns.
 
With eternal optimism that the project will eventually get the greenlight, TransCanada already began construction on the southern portion of the pipeline stretching from Oklahoma to the Texas Gulf Coast.
 
If approved, the pipeline will double the amount of oil sent to Gulf Coast refineries and will span approximately 2,700 kilometres. And judging from TransCanada’s resolve, the project will get the greenlight in the coming months.