Biden to rescind border permit for Keystone XL pipeline on his first day as president, sources tell CBC and Politico

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On his first day as president, Joe Biden "will rescind the cross-border permit for TC Energy's Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office," Politico reports, citing three unnamed sources and following up on similarly sourced report by Kyle Bakx of Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

"The move is billed as one of Biden’s Day One climate change actions, according to a presentation circulating among Washington trade groups and lobbyists, a portion of which was seen by Politico," Lauren Gardner and Ben Lefebvre report. "It's the latest development in a decade-long fight over the controversial pipeline and solidifies a campaign promise the Canadian government had hoped was negotiable." One oil-and-gas lobbyist told Politico, "The only question has always been whether labor can stave off the death sentence. And they never had a chance."

"Rescinding Keystone XL would negate one of President Donald Trump's own first actions in office and kill a project that had become a political totem in the fight between climate activists and the oil industry," Politico notes. "Despite many analysts saying the boom in U.S. shale oil made new sources of Canadian crude less important, TC Energy has fought years of legal challenges against it obtaining the needed state permits that would all it to build the pipeline.

Alberta Premier Kenney said Sunday night that he would work with TC Energy "to use all legal avenues available to protect" the province's interest in the pipeline, which would provide a better outlet for heavy crude mined from oil sands in northern Alberta.