By Michael Geary, July 9, 2021
Photo Credit: NumenaStudios / Shutterstock.com
President Biden ended the Keystone XL pipeline project to score political points. He should figure out how those points transfer to dollars now that TC Energy is seeking $15 billion in damages.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, TC Energy, which owns the Keystone XL pipeline, filed a NAFTA complaint against the United States government. TC Energy is accusing the United States of breaching free trade obligations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement when President Biden revoked the pipeline’s border crossing permit.
Keystone has turned into a never-healing wound caused by an overreaching President who chose to pander to the political left. The cost? Thousands of jobs. Millions in tax revenue. The safest way to transport natural gas from Canada to Texas refineries. And now, if the claim stands, a $15 billion dollar bill, paid by you, the U.S. taxpayer.
Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, paints a sobering picture in his press release for the multistate lawsuit he filed after President Biden pulled the permit:
“Since his first day in office, President Biden has made it his mission to undo all the progress of the previous administration, with complete disregard for the Constitutional limits on his power. His decision to revoke the pipeline permit is not only unlawful but will also devastate the livelihoods of thousands of workers, their families, and their communities,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This administration continues to tout imaginary green-energy jobs, without any recognition that their actions in the real world will make it impossible for hard-working Americans to put food on the table.”
Whatever the outcome of the TC Energy complaint, Texas will move forward with its own approach to energy policy. Whether it’s adding on to the state’s 479,000 miles of pipeline infrastructure, investing in more efficient ways to capture carbon, or using a light regulatory hand to protect the environment through private sector innovation, Texas will continue to be an innovative leader for the country to watch, and an energy titan for the world to follow.