TransCanada asks U.S. to pause Keystone XL pipeline process
Posted Nov 3, 2015 04:28:33 AM.
Last Updated Nov 3, 2015 04:35:50 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
In a surprise move, the company behind the controversy-plagued Keystone XL pipeline has asked the U.S. government to temporarily suspend its application.
That request from TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) adds a new wrinkle to one of the biggest Canada-U.S. political irritants of recent years, involving a pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
The request comes in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
It asks the American administration to delay its decision on a border-crossing permit, pending an ongoing dispute in Nebraska over the route.
If heeded, that request could potentially have two major implications: First, it could spare the company a potential rejection from U.S. President Barack Obama.
It could also punt the issue beyond the 2016 U.S. election, making it a campaign issue and placing the file in the hands of a future administration.
