Great news!
Back in March, President Donald Trump signed a presidential permit to initiate the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline with a facility in Montana, the building of which has been delayed by a federal court order and an injunction.
Needless to say, the green justice warriors went forward with suits against the construction based on the old permitting. Now, in a decision that may shock many here, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel nullified a key barrier to the construction of the project, arguing that it no longer applies after the Trump administration replaced a permit earlier this year.
The court ruled Thursday night in favor of the Trump administration and TransCanada Corporation’s motion to dismiss.
The ruling sided with arguments that the old permit for the pipeline, which was replaced by the Trump administration in March, is no longer valid and therefore the injunction associated with it also no longer applies.
The action hands a victory to the Trump administration, which has long fought to finish construction of the international pipeline. It also opens up the door to restarting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which was halted in courts in the fall in part due to failure to properly account for the cumulative impacts of greenhouse gases from the construction.
Trump in May signed a presidential permit as a way to jump-start the delayed construction of the 1,179-mile pipeline. The order superseded a March 2017 order.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I hereby revoke that March 23, 2017, permit,” Trump wrote in the order.
I would argue that Trump’s foresight in removing the old permit should readily dispel any notion he isn’t up to the job of President mentally . . . but I digress.