Keystone XL was a pipeline project proposed running from Canada into the United State that would have provided oil for processing to multiple states, helping address energy shortages, the needs of the economy and more.
Barack Obama delayed it and after President Donald Trump tried to put it back on track, Joe Biden eventually killed it.
Now what some are calling “Keystone Lite” has been given federal approval and is sparking hope for new jobs as well as millions of dollars in tax revenue.
A report at the Cowboy State Daily confirms that Wyoming to see thousands of construction jobs along with those associated with long-term pipeline operations and millions in new tax revenue.
The report explained Trump has approved a cross-border permit for Bridger Pipeline’s 650-mile project, which will carry up to 550,000 barrels per day of Canadian crude to the Gulf Coast by way of Guernsey, Wyoming, with the potential to more than double that volume over time.
According to Washington administration officials it’s a way to boost American energy security and jobs.
It is University of Wyoming economist Rob Godby who projected “a significant wave of high-paying construction work, long-term pipeline jobs, and higher tax revenues for Wyoming’s oil and gas industry,” the report explained.
Even though the corporations behind the plan include those behind the original Keystone, it’s different in that it avoids Nebraska and American Indian reservations and will follow existing pipeline corridors and rights of way.
Ryan McConnaughey of the Wyoming Petroleum Association said, “Investments like Bridger Pipeline’s expansion, along with continued growth in areas like the Powder River Basin, demonstrate Wyoming will continue to play a critical role in the nation’s energy markets. The oil and natural gas industry is Wyoming’s primary economic engine and largest source of tax revenue.”
It is planned to cross through Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen, and Platte counties in Whoming.
“Without getting into anything speculative, this is obviously going around what was a failed project,” Godby said. “Keystone XL was canceled by (former President Joe) Biden, but there were lots of people who would have liked to have seen that resolved.”
