"After a decade of protests and political reversals in the U.S., the Canadian company behind the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline says it has made a final decision to build the long-delayed project. Once completed, it would deliver more than 830,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Alberta's oil sands, or 'tar sands,' region to the United States.
TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, says in a statement the project will invest $8 billion into the North American economy and provide 'thousands of well-paying jobs during construction.'
That may be welcome by some as economies have taken a hit from the global coronavirus pandemic. But others worry construction workers traveling to rural communities along the pipeline route will help spread the virus. The 1,210-mile pipeline would be built between Hardisty, Alberta, and Steel City, Neb.
'Our rural communities are strained as it is for medical supplies and hospital beds amid a global pandemic. TC energy must put an end to any construction in our small towns as the pandemic grows across our country,' says Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska."
