After a 13-year environmental battle, the Keystone XL pipeline has finally been canceled for good. After the permit for the project was revoked by the federal government in January, Calgary-based TC Energy, the sponsor of the project, announced this week that the project has been terminated.
The 1,200-mile pipeline would have carried 830,000 barrels of crude oil from oil sand fields of western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, and then on to the Gulf Coast, posing a significant threat to local communities, Indigenous lands, and water health along its path.
One hurdle in reaching the project’s termination was the Canadian government’s support for the project. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed support for the pipeline and Alberta invested more than $1 billion in the project last year.
The environmental feat would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of activists, specifically Indigenous communities, legislators, and lawsuits from environmental organizations.
