Samuel Case, FISM News
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The Republican run states of Montana and Texas are spearheading a lawsuit against President Biden for nixing the Keystone XL pipeline, the proposed 1,200-mile oil line between the U.S. and Canada, costing the U.S. tens of thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue. The suit is joined by 19 other states, all with Republican Attorneys General.
Biden has already faced blowback for ending the permit among labor unions and Canadian government officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but the move garnered praise from environmental activists. The Canadian Prime Minister said he was “disappointed” in the decision and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called it “a gut punch for the Canadian and Alberta economies.”
The lawsuit says Biden acted unconstitutionally in unilaterally killing the pipeline immediately after taking office. It argues Congress, not the executive branch, is tasked by the Constitution with regulating interstate and international commerce. Congress never approved ending the pipeline project. The suit says ending the project cost $55.6 million in potential taxes and 42,000 future jobs.
In a statement Montana Attorney General Knudsen attacked the president saying his actions show “contempt for rural communities in Montana and other states along the pipeline’s path that would benefit from and support the project.”
Today I and 20 state AGs filed suit against Pres Biden against his unconstitutional cancellation of Keystone XL pipeline. Devastating to Montana and pure virtue signaling to his liberal costal elites. What happened to #BuildBackBetter? #keystonepipeline https://t.co/xyJTpjkxPp
— Austin Knudsen (@MTAGKnudsen) March 17, 2021
Biden ended the pipeline permit over environmental concerns. In his executive order, the President said “leaving the Keystone XL pipeline permit in place would not be consistent with my Administration’s economic and climate imperatives.” Knudsen disputes the environmental impact of the project and claims Biden’s true motive was to “virtue signal” to his “elite donors.”