Washington – A coalition of attorneys general from 21 states sued President Biden and members of his government for revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline in an attempt to reverse the president’s attempt to effectively breach the 1,200-mile pipeline. to make.
Led by the Texas and Montana attorneys general, the states argued in their complaint that the president exceeded his authority when he issued his executive order on January 20 to revoke permits for the oil pipeline. The warrant against Keystone was one of many executive actions Mr. Biden has taken since assuming the presidency focusing on the environment and tackling climate change.
“Withdrawal of the Keystone XL pipeline license is a regulation of interstate and international trade, which can only be achieved as any other statute can: through the bicameral and presentation process,” the states argued in their complaint. “The president lacks the power to carry out his’ ambitious plan ‘to reform the economy in spite of Congress’ reluctance to do so.”
The attorneys general argued that Congress had established rules on what actions the president can take in relation to Keystone, and Mr. Biden and senior members of his administration ignored those rules.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Mr. Biden of “with complete disregard for the constitutional limitations of his power.”
The Keystone XL pipeline, designed by TC Energy Corporation to transport approximately 830,000 barrels of oil from Canada and Montana to the Gulf Coast of Texas, is part of a larger system of lines and would run through several states. While the Obama administration denied permits for the pipeline, former President Donald Trump approved construction of the pipeline in 2019, and work began last year.
In his order to effectively end the pipeline, Mr. Biden said it would not serve the national interest and stated that the US should give priority to “developing a clean energy economy, which in turn will do good work. to create”.
But his order put hundreds of workers out of work, and TC Energy estimated that nearly 1,000 workers were laid off as a result of the action.