Pipelines are essential to get crude oil and natural gas from a
production site to processing and then for use in the market. When
properly constructed, operated and maintained within the pipeline
safety rules, they provide an efficient method to transport these
products that are so valuable to our economy. However, in recent
years, it has become more and more common for environmental groups
to protest the construction of new (and safer) pipelines.
The years-long and still ongoing saga of the Keystone XL
Pipeline is well known. After undergoing numerous environmental
reviews that established it had little overall environmental
impact, President Obama declined to grant authority to construct
the trans-boundary portion of the pipeline. President Trump issued
a Presidential Memoranda in which he invited TransCanada to
resubmit its application and stated a final permitting decision
must be made within 60 days of the resubmittal. TransCanada
submitted its application
