President-elect Donald Trump is planning another “day one” initiative that will no doubt send waves of outrage through Democrat ranks or, at least, the farthest left among the party. That’s because Trump intends to revive the Keystone XL oil pipeline on his first day in office, according to a Politico report citing three individuals close to the Trump transition team.
Trump has consistently pledged to reauthorize the project as part of his campaign commitment to reduce energy costs for Americans and boost domestic oil production after Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office canceling the project, which took more than a decade to get underway. He is also planning a series of day-one executive orders aimed at advancing these energy goals.
“Why does Biden go in and kill the Keystone pipeline and approve the single biggest deal that Russia’s ever made, Nord Stream 2, the biggest pipeline anywhere in the world going to Germany and all over Europe?” Trump asked during his September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. “Because they’re weak and they’re ineffective.”
The Keystone XL pipeline has a long history of political reversals. In 2015, then-President Barack Obama rejected permits for the project. President Donald Trump overturned that decision in 2017, but President Joe Biden reversed it again shortly after taking office in January 2021. Biden’s cancellation prompted project developer TC Energy to abandon the pipeline entirely, adding an extra challenge for President-elect Trump. Upon returning to the White House, he will need to take steps to secure a new developer for the project. “It’s on the list of things they want to do first day,” one of the sources told Politico.
Calgary-based energy firm TC Energy no longer owns the pipeline system that the Keystone XL was originally designed to connect with across the U.S.-Canada border. Additionally, initial pipeline segments previously installed have been removed. As a result, any new project manager would face significant environmental and regulatory hurdles before construction could resume. The project will also encounter challenges within the United States, as substantial portions of land needed for construction, particularly in Nebraska, will have to be reacquired.
Despite the challenges, Trump plans to reauthorize the Keystone XL pipeline to underscore his administration’s pro-oil agenda. “Everyone in the country knows what the KXL pipeline is,” a source familiar with the plans told Politico under the condition of anonymity. More than that, though, restarting the project would be in line with the huge mandate Trump won from a majority of Americans this month. Public opinion heavily favors the project, with polling showing strong support. A 2022 survey revealed that 71 percent of Americans back the Keystone XL pipeline.