Keystone XL Construction Begins at U.S.-Canada Border
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — TC Energy reported Monday that construction has started on the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline across the U.S.-Canada border.
A spokesman for TC Energy said work began over the weekend at the border crossing in northern Montana. About 100 workers will be involved in the pipeline's early stages, but that number is expected to swell into the thousands in coming months as work proceeds, according to the company.
The 1,200-mile (1,930 kilometer) pipeline was proposed in 2008 and would carry up to 830,000 bpd of crude oil to refineries and export terminals on the Gulf of Mexico.
The project been tied up for years in legal battles and several court challenges are still pending, including one that's due before a judge next week.
TC Energy's announcement on March 31 that it intended to start construction came after the provincial government in Alberta invested $1.1 billion to jumpstart work.
Montana's Department of Environmental Quality on Friday issued the final state permits the company needed, agency spokeswoman Rebecca Harbage said.
Leaders of American Indian tribes and some residents of rural communities along the pipeline route worry that workers could spread the coronavirus. As many as 11 construction camps, some housing up to 1,000 people, were initially planned for the project, although TC Energy says those are under review because of the virus.
TC Energy says it plans to check everyone entering work sites for fever and ensure workers practice social distancing.
Work on the pipeline is allowed under an exemption to Gov. Steve Bullock's March 26 “stay at home" directive, which is intended to prevent the spread of the virus by discouraging many daily activities, according to state officials. But the directive did not address worker camps.
Bullock is concerned about potential risks from the virus associated with the camps, spokeswoman Marissa Perry said Monday. The Democratic governor “would want those concerns addressed prior to TC Energy and their contractors finalizing their plans of operations for those segments of construction," she said.
Opponents in January had asked Morris to block any work while the legal challenges are pending. They said clearing and tree felling along the route would destroy bird and wildlife habitat. Native American tribes along the pipeline route have said the pipeline could break and spill oil into waterways like the Missouri River.
A hearing on the request to block work is scheduled for April 16 before U.S. District Judge Brian Morris in Great Falls.
Keystone XL was rejected twice under former President Barack Obama because of concerns it would make climate change worse. President Donald Trump revived the project and later pushed through approval after Morris issued an order to block construction in 2018.
Morris in December denied an initial request to block construction because TC Energy said at the time no work was immediately planned.
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