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Opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline have succeeded in blocking construction on the tar sands project for the past decade. (Photo: Elvert Barnes/Flickr/cc)
In Another Blow to Keystone XL, Judge Rules TransCanada Can't Conduct Pre-Construction Work
Indigenous and environmental groups as well as locals landowners celebrated the court victory, denouncing the proposed tar sands pipeline as "reckless and risky."
Dec 07, 2018
Opponents of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline--from indigenous and environmental groups to local farmers and ranchers--celebrated a win in court after a federal judge ruled on Friday that the fossil fuel giant cannot conduct pre-construction work on the pipeline until the full environmental review ordered last month is complete.
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause."
--Doug Hayes, Sierra Club
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause," observed Sierra Club senior attorney Doug Hayes. "We've held off construction of this dirty tar sands pipeline for a decade because it would be a bad deal for the American people, and [Friday's] ruling is yet another reminder that it will never be built."
The ruling (pdf) from U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls, Montana followed a November decision which found that the Trump administration ignored "prior factual findings related to climate change" and relied on "outdated information" regarding Keystone XL's threat to endangered species, tribal lands, and regional water resources when issuing a permit for the pipeline.
In a move denounced as "corporate bulling at its worst" by Friends of the Earth legal director Marcie Keever, TransCanada had sought permission to conduct pre-construction work. Morris ruled that Calgary-based company may continue activities such as security efforts and conducting surveys needed to revise the environmental review, but barred all field activities along the proposed route.
"Farmers and ranchers thank the judge for seeing through TransCanada's transparent power grab," added Bold Alliance president Jane Kleeb. "We want our property rights and water protected, yet all the Trump administration cares about is aiding a foreign oil corporation."
"If the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XL's impacts, it won't be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project."
--Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity
Calling the judge's latest decision "one more victory for the rule of law over this reckless and risky project," Natural Resource Defense Council senior attorney Jackie Prange said: "Keystone XL cannot be built unless and until the Trump administration complies with the law. So far, we've seen no indication that it plans to do so."
Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, agreed--concluding that "if the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XL's impacts, it won't be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project."
Critics of the Keystone XL continue to battle it in court and on the ground by organizing protests, installing solar panels along the proposed path, and returning land to local tribes in hopes of blocking the hotly contested project.
Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, turned to Twitter after the ruling to thanks those who have continued the fight against the project:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Opponents of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline--from indigenous and environmental groups to local farmers and ranchers--celebrated a win in court after a federal judge ruled on Friday that the fossil fuel giant cannot conduct pre-construction work on the pipeline until the full environmental review ordered last month is complete.
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause."
--Doug Hayes, Sierra Club
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause," observed Sierra Club senior attorney Doug Hayes. "We've held off construction of this dirty tar sands pipeline for a decade because it would be a bad deal for the American people, and [Friday's] ruling is yet another reminder that it will never be built."
The ruling (pdf) from U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls, Montana followed a November decision which found that the Trump administration ignored "prior factual findings related to climate change" and relied on "outdated information" regarding Keystone XL's threat to endangered species, tribal lands, and regional water resources when issuing a permit for the pipeline.
In a move denounced as "corporate bulling at its worst" by Friends of the Earth legal director Marcie Keever, TransCanada had sought permission to conduct pre-construction work. Morris ruled that Calgary-based company may continue activities such as security efforts and conducting surveys needed to revise the environmental review, but barred all field activities along the proposed route.
"Farmers and ranchers thank the judge for seeing through TransCanada's transparent power grab," added Bold Alliance president Jane Kleeb. "We want our property rights and water protected, yet all the Trump administration cares about is aiding a foreign oil corporation."
"If the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XL's impacts, it won't be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project."
--Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity
Calling the judge's latest decision "one more victory for the rule of law over this reckless and risky project," Natural Resource Defense Council senior attorney Jackie Prange said: "Keystone XL cannot be built unless and until the Trump administration complies with the law. So far, we've seen no indication that it plans to do so."
Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, agreed--concluding that "if the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XL's impacts, it won't be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project."
Critics of the Keystone XL continue to battle it in court and on the ground by organizing protests, installing solar panels along the proposed path, and returning land to local tribes in hopes of blocking the hotly contested project.
Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, turned to Twitter after the ruling to thanks those who have continued the fight against the project:
From Your Site Articles
Opponents of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline--from indigenous and environmental groups to local farmers and ranchers--celebrated a win in court after a federal judge ruled on Friday that the fossil fuel giant cannot conduct pre-construction work on the pipeline until the full environmental review ordered last month is complete.
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause."
--Doug Hayes, Sierra Club
"Somehow TransCanada still hasn't gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause," observed Sierra Club senior attorney Doug Hayes. "We've held off construction of this dirty tar sands pipeline for a decade because it would be a bad deal for the American people, and [Friday's] ruling is yet another reminder that it will never be built."
The ruling (pdf) from U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls, Montana followed a November decision which found that the Trump administration ignored "prior factual findings related to climate change" and relied on "outdated information" regarding Keystone XL's threat to endangered species, tribal lands, and regional water resources when issuing a permit for the pipeline.
In a move denounced as "corporate bulling at its worst" by Friends of the Earth legal director Marcie Keever, TransCanada had sought permission to conduct pre-construction work. Morris ruled that Calgary-based company may continue activities such as security efforts and conducting surveys needed to revise the environmental review, but barred all field activities along the proposed route.
"Farmers and ranchers thank the judge for seeing through TransCanada's transparent power grab," added Bold Alliance president Jane Kleeb. "We want our property rights and water protected, yet all the Trump administration cares about is aiding a foreign oil corporation."
"If the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XL's impacts, it won't be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project."
--Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity
Calling the judge's latest decision "one more victory for the rule of law over this reckless and risky project," Natural Resource Defense Council senior attorney Jackie Prange said: "Keystone XL cannot be built unless and until the Trump administration complies with the law. So far, we've seen no indication that it plans to do so."
Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, agreed--concluding that "if the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XL's impacts, it won't be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project."
Critics of the Keystone XL continue to battle it in court and on the ground by organizing protests, installing solar panels along the proposed path, and returning land to local tribes in hopes of blocking the hotly contested project.
Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, turned to Twitter after the ruling to thanks those who have continued the fight against the project:
From Your Site Articles
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