Prentice remains optimistic Keystone will get built down the road
Posted Nov 18, 2014 6:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Although the U.S. Senate said no to authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline this time around, Alberta’s premier said the fight isn’t over and he’s hopeful it will eventually get built.
Jim Prentice spoke in Edmonton Tuesday following the vote and said he was disappointed, but it was not a death sentence with a new Congress and a Republican-controlled Senate on the way in the new year.
“This is not the end of the end of the process, but a step along the way and that one might expect once the new members of the U.S. Congress-Senate are sworn in, that this matter will commence anew,” he said, adding he’s optimistic about the future.
“Obviously this is disappointing, however bipartisan support in the United States for the Keystone pipeline has never been stronger, essentially in the Senate, we were one vote short today of the threshold of 60, the majority of the Senate was still in favour, so I continue to be optimistic,” Prentice said.
Prentice also said he expects to travel to Washington in January, although he hasn’t figured out exact dates yet.
“At this point, clearly it would be a process of being there, be engaged in terms of the new Congress,” he said.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers also said the result was disappointing, but not surprising either.
Vice-President Greg Stringham told City News it’s consistent with past Congress votes.
“This is the same Congress that hasn’t passed several other Keystone bills in the past and so while they were really to get this one through in what they call the lame duck session, we know that this will be only the first of many times that the new Congress that is going to be Republican-controlled, will actually be putting in front of either the Congress and then eventually the president,” Stringham said.
On the other side, Greenpeace Canada is applauding the senators who voted against the bill.
Climate and Energy campaigner with the organization, Mike Hudema, said Prime Minister Stephen Harper should take note.
“He could show real leadership by keeping more tar sands in the ground, reducing Canada’s growing emissions and forging an urgent transition to renewables,” Hudema said in a statement.
