WASHINGTON – President Trump issued a permit Friday to build the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, allowing for the controversial and long-stalled $8 billion project to be completed.

“It’s a great day for American jobs and a historic moment for North America and energy independence,” Trump said in an Oval Office announcement.

“I think it’s a lot safer to have pipelines than to use other forms of transportation for your product.”

Trump’s action makes good on a campaign promise and reverses President Obama’s decision to block the pipeline over environmental concerns and political pressure.

In Trump’s first week in office, President Trump issued an executive order to revive the project.
Two days later, TransCanada submitted its new application for approval.

Trump’s State Department concluded the crude oil pipeline would “serve the national interest” and would benefit “foreign policy; energy security; environmental, cultural, and economic impact.”

The decision ends a years-long battle between boosters of the energy industry and environmental advocates.

The 1,700-mile pipeline would carry 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta, Canada, to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Even with a presidential permit, the pipeline’s exact route is uncertain, as Native American tribes and landowners continue to oppose it in the courts.

Trump was joined by members of the building trade industry and Russ Girling, president of TransCanada, in the White House ceremony to issue the permit.

“We’re not going to let you down,” Girling told Trump.
With Post wires