While he was in office, President Donald Trump fought to ensure the Keystone XL pipeline became a reality. This massive project meant thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investments. Not to mention a safe and reliable means of transporting oil into the U.S. Naturally, Joe Biden killed it at the behest of radical environmentalists.
The backlash was felt from all corners. It wasn’t just conservatives outraged that Biden would shut down a project that took years to accomplish. Union workers—who had previously supported the candidate—were livid. As were leaders in Canada, who knew it would cost them big. Even Democrats in energy-producing states were feeling the pain.
But there might be a chance to save the project, and save many jobs. One Republican seems to believe it can be done, but only if the party fights.
Oklahoma Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin says President Biden and his administration have opened themselves up to a legal challenge after the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline project with an executive order…
“The issue that you have right now is what Biden did was unprecedented,” Mullin said…
“There was no review of the permitting process,” Mullin said. “There was no oversight into it. It was purely political, in my opinion, a lawsuit can be filed in this case, just for the Commerce Clause… we don’t do that inside the United States. That’s what happens in Venezuela. That’s what happens in China. That’s what happens in Russia.” [Source: Just the News]
Mullin explained that two previous presidents were on board with the pipeline. Donald Trump approved it—and even Obama had started the process entirely by issuing a study and got the ball rolling. But suddenly Biden steps in and cancels it—without a review of the project or any oversight.
The Republican accused Biden’s actions of being “purely political,” meaning they are vulnerable to a lawsuit.
He even explained this was not truly an environmental issue, saying the pipeline would have been an “environmentally friendly” one, with the goal of zero emissions. That further lends weight to his argument that Biden did this over politics, not as a means of protecting the planet.
But would a lawsuit be able to turn the decision around? It’s possible an act of Congress can circumvent Biden’s order, but that would require a large majority of both chambers to make it happen. A lawsuit taken to federal court might do the trick, but Republicans would have to argue why a court should overturn a presidential EO.
Democrats loved suing Trump at the drop of a hat—so why should Republicans do the same, especially when so many jobs are on the line?
We’ve seen the state of Texas already take on Biden over numerous decisions. A lawsuit to protect the pipeline would also get the support of numerous labor unions and perhaps some sitting Democrats.
I guess the only question left is, will it actually happen?