Lloydminster City Council joins call for action on Keystone XL

Lloydminster, AB/SK – Lloydminster City Council unanimously passed a motion to express the community’s concerns and those of Western Canadian oil producers after United States President Joe Biden passed an executive order on his first day in office to halt work on the Keystone XL pipeline.

On January 20, 2021, the Canadian oil industry was dealt another blow when the U.S. Administration revoked the border-crossing permit for the 1,947-kilometre pipeline. Beginning in Hardisty, Alta., and ending in Steel City, Nebraska, the route represents a safe and environmentally responsible way to deliver crude oil from Western Canada to refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

“Canadian oil producers are among the safest, most environmentally responsible employers across the globe, and it’s those employers who support thousands of residents in our villages, towns and cities. For too long, Canada’s petroleum producers have been denied the opportunity to compete as Western Canadian oil remains landlocked, all while the country imports foreign oil,” says Mayor Gerald Aalbers. “The decisions made by the United States government and the presumable lack of support from the federal government have greatly affected once-thriving local businesses. The companies who support our economic growth and prosperity have been forced to cut back or close altogether, impacting thousands of local families’ livelihoods.”

Standing alongside the City of Cold Lake and other Western Canadian communities, City Council says the City of Lloydminster will continue to advocate developing a pipeline connecting the nation’s coasts. Not only will this allow the country to be less dependent on foreign oil, but it will also aid in the restoration of a fair economic climate for Canadian producers.

“The Canadian oil industry demands action be taken by the federal government. When the government allows producers to get their product to the global market, it will place thousands of people back in the workforce for and allow them to provide for their families.”

Council’s motion also sought:

• A letter of support to U.S. politicians who support legislation to reverse the course of President Joe Biden’s unilateral Keystone XL decision.
• A letter of support to TC Energy supporting keeping the pipeline constructed so far so that the infrastructure can be kept in place until its need becomes evident to the United States of America as Canada’s oil supply is continuously being replaced by supply from other countries.
• A letter of recommendation to the Prime Minister of Canada and the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario to move forward on a pipeline that connects with the Canadian leg of Keystone (Portage La Prairie) and to carry forward with an ‘Ontario east’ pipeline that travels exclusively in Canada and transports oil to the key refineries in southern Ontario.
• A letter recommending that the Prime Minister and the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan support, in principle and financially, the Eagle Spirit Pipeline. In addition, to seek a modification of the tanker ban in supporting this pipeline, which would allow another conduit for Canadian oil to be shipped overseas.
• The City of Lloydminster to call upon Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to state his clear and impassioned opposition to the United States government’s revocation of the Keystone XL border-crossing permit.