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Backers not giving up on Keystone XL pipeline

Posted: Jan 21, 2012 1:48 PM by Drew Trafton (KTVQ Billings)
Updated: Jan 21, 2012 4:08 PM

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BILLINGS- Supporters of the Keystone XL Pipeline remain adamant that the project can and will get done despite President Obama's denial of TransCanada's permit for the pipeline construction announced earlier this week.

There are literally dozens of plans and courses of action which are being thrown around right now on the Internet about how TransCanada can move forward.

A few of those plans have been laid out by U.S. Congressmen and center around the drafting a bill to either fast track a re-application for the pipeline or take power away from the President in deciding on the pipeline all together.

But TransCanada itself says that they will move forward with re-applying for a permit. Company President and CEO Russ Girling said in a press release that "plans are already underway on a number of fronts to largely maintain the construction schedule of the project. We will re-apply for a Presidential Permit and expect a new application would be processed in an expedited manner to allow for an in-service date of late 2014."

In order to get the pipeline functional in two years time there is speculation that the company would begin building the XL project exclusively in the United States while they await approval.

Bloomberg, the financial news and data service, says TransCanada's president of oil pipelines says one of the plans the company is considering is building the pipeline using a route which would start in Montana.

We called and spoke with a TransCanada media contact to confirm that information and were promised a response, but so far we haven't heard anything.

We may learn more about the direction of the Keystone XL project next week when the House Energy and Commerce Committee will meet to discuss the pipeline.

The State Department will also have a representative on hand for that meeting and will defend its recommendation to decline the permit.

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