Keystone XL pipeline will give US access to nearly a million barrels of oil a day: Alberta Premier
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, the head of government in the Canadian province, said the attack on oil fields in Saudi Arabia is a reminder that energy security is vitally important to the economy, and the United States is very fortunate to have the third-largest oil reserves just north of its the border.
“We have huge untapped reserves,” he told FOX Business’ David Asman on Monday. “But unfortunately we've been fighting a campaign funded largely by U.S. interest groups to landlock Alberta energy even while the United States has quite understandably doubled its oil production in the past decade. But we want to get you more of our energy.”
Kenney said it’s necessary to get the Keystone XL pipeline built because it would give the U.S. access to nearly a million barrels per day.
Keystone XL applied for a presidential permit in 2008 but approval of the permit was delayed by environmental assessments and a political battle between the Republican-controlled Congress and the Obama Administration. Shortly after taking office, President Trump signed executive actions to advance the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline. However, plans to begin construction were blocked last November after a federal judge in Montana ordered additional environmental reviews of the project. In April, Trump issued a new permit for the construction of the pipeline.
The company is also facing other hurdles to move oil through the United States.
“We are also facing a bit of a threat from the governor and attorney general of Michigan who are trying to shut down line five that delivers half a million barrels a day to the Great Lakes states that would massively spike energy prices.”
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When Asman asked about Democrats’ push to eliminate fossil fuels, Kenney responded spoke about the consensus that there will be growing demand for hydrocarbon-based fuels through 2040.
The question then is: where should that energy come from," Kenney asked. “I say it's better that it come from Canada and the United States than the OPEC dictatorships and Vladimir Putin's Russia."