Donald Trump signs executive orders to advance Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines

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      There could be a third major pipeline project going ahead in Canada since Justin Trudeau became prime minister in 2015.

      That's because today, U.S. president Donald Trump signed executive orders to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

      TransCanada Pipelines is the proponent of Keystone XL, which was blocked by the Obama administration because of its environmental impact.

      "America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change," Barack Obama said in 2015. “And, frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership."

      Trump, on the other hand, has repeatedly expressed deep skepticism over whether humans are contributing to climate change.

      In a 2012 tweet, he blamed global warming on the Chinese.

      During the 2016 presidential-election campaign, Trump promised to ask TransCanada to renew its application to build the 1,897-kilometre pipeline.

      Donald Trump promised to roll back Obama administration's policies to address climate change.

      The Keystone XL pipeline would run from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska. It would result in an additional 830,000 barrels per day being exported to the United States.

      Climate Central writer Bobby Magill noted in a 2015 column that enormous amounts of energy are required to extract Alberta bitumen.

      Citing an Environmental Protection Agency report, Magill stated that Keystone XL "will lead to about 1.3 billion more tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the pipeline's 50-year lifespan than if the pipeline were carrying conventional crude".

      One of America's leading advocates for a greener future, 350.org cofounder Bill McKibben, has condemned Trump's move to advance Keystone XL.

      Bill McKibben says Keystone XL is far from being a done deal.
      Steve Liptay

      “More people sent comments against Dakota Access and Keystone XL to the government than any project in history," he said. "The world's climate scientists and its Nobel laureates explained over and over why it was unwise and immoral. In one of his first actions as president, Donald Trump ignores all that in his eagerness to serve the oil industry. It's a dark day for reason, but we will continue the fight."

      McKibben added that Keystone XL is not a done deal.

      "The last time around, TransCanada was so confident they literally mowed the strip where they planned to build the pipeline, before people power stopped them," he said. "People will mobilize again."

      Last November, the Trudeau government approved two other pipeline projects. Kinder Morgan plans to triple capacity of its bitumen shipments from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C. This would result in 890,000 barrels per day travelling through its 1,150-kilometre TransMountain system and would result in 400 oil tankers per year travelling through Burrard Inlet.

      In 2014, Justin Trudeau expressed his support for Keystone XL in a scrum with reporters outside Vancouver's Pink Pearl Chinese Seafood Restaurant.
      Stephen Hui

      The Trudeau government also approved the 1,660-kilometre Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, which would nearly double shipments of bitumen from 390,000 to 760,000 barrels per day.

      Each project is still subject to many conditions set by the National Energy Board.

      In November, Trudeau also rejected Enbridge's Northern Gateway Project, which would have shipped bitumen from the Edmonton area to Kitimat for export to Asia.

      In the past, Trudeau has spoken favourably about the Keystone XL project.

      Trump's executive order came a day after another of his executive orders banning allocating funds to organizations that "promote" abortion around the world.

      This effectively cuts off federal funding for the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

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