Trump calls for resumption of construction of Keystone XL pipeline abandoned under Biden

US President Donald Trump said on Monday, February 24, that he wanted to see construction work restart "now" on an oil pipeline between Canada and the United States, called Keystone XL , which was abandoned in 2021 at the start of his predecessor Joe Biden's term. "I thought today that the company (Canadian TC Energy, Editor's note) behind the Keystone XL pipeline project, viciously abandoned by Mr. Biden's incompetent administration, should come back to America and get it built - now!" wrote the president on his Truth Social network. "The Trump administration is very different: easy permits, almost immediate start-up!" boasted the head of state, adding that if TC Energy was not up for it, another company could take over the project.

These statements come in the midst of a trade conflict between the United States and Canada, with Donald Trump wanting to impose 25% customs duties on products from his northern neighbor. The Keystone XL project, supported by Ottawa but criticized by environmentalists, was launched in 2008. Canceled for the first time under the presidency of Barack Obama because it was considered too polluting, it was put back on track by Donald Trump, during his first term, for economic reasons.

Revoking his predecessor's order was one of Biden's campaign promises, as part of his plan to fight climate change. It had disappointed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had pledged to complete Keystone XL and other pipelines to transport Canadian oil to other markets and get a better price. TC Energy announced it was abandoning the project in June 2021.

Keystone XL was about extending an existing pipeline, Keystone, which transports hydrocarbons from the province of Alberta in western Canada to several destinations in the United States.