The company in charge of the Keystone XL pipeline project TC Energy Corp has achieved agreements with four major labour unions in the US in an effort to combat Joe Biden’s threats to rip up permits for the project if elected in 2020.
“The Keystone XL pipeline project will put thousands of Americans, including Teamsters, to work in good union jobs that will support working families,” Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said about the deal.
The agreements were announced on Tuesday. They will result in 2,000 unionized workers to begin constructing some of the 28 proposed pump stations to be built in the US.
According to TC Energy, construction on the Canadian portion of the pipeline has already begun and the pipeline is expected to begin shipping crude oil from Alberta by the year 2023.
The project, which is expected to bring 2,000 construction jobs into Alberta, has faced a number of obstacles prior to its approval by US President Donald Trump.
Earlier this year, Biden’s campaign announced that if elected, he would squash development on the pipeline.
“Biden strongly opposed the Keystone pipeline in the last administration, stood alongside President Obama and Secretary [John] Kerry to reject it in 2015, and will proudly stand in the Roosevelt Room again as President and stop it for good by rescinding the Keystone XL pipeline permit. Stopping Keystone was the right decision then and it’s still the right decision now,” said a statement by Biden’s policy director Stef Feldman.
In response to the statement, the chairman of the Business Council of Alberta Hal Kvisle said that if Biden follows through with his plans as president, his presidency could be faced with a “multibillion-dollar lawsuit.”
“This is all grandstanding and it doesn’t look good on the politicians,” said Kvisle.
“TC would have a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the U.S. government if they kill the project that’s already been approved.”
