Construction of Keystone XL in Canada. Image: Brian Zinchuk, Pipeline News HELENA, Mont. — The company that wants to build the Keystone XL pipeline is asking a judge to change his order blocking the project to allow pre-construction work to continue, such as purchasing materials and finalizing contracts. Attorneys for TransCanada Corporation will argue in a Wednesday telephone conference that U.S. District Judge Brian Morris should clarify or amend his ruling to say the injunction does not apply to activities such as finalizing contracts, purchasing materials, conducting land surveys and discussing federal permits. TransCanada wants to keep that preliminary work on track so that the Calgary-based company can be prepared to start pipeline construction as early as mid-February. Blocking the pre-construction work even for several weeks would likely cause the company to miss the entire 2019 construction season and delay its 2021 target for oil to start flowing through the pipeline. “A one-year delay in construction of the pipeline would result in substantial harm to TransCanada, as well as to United States workers, and to TransCanada’s customers relying on the current in-service date of the project,” TransCanada Pipelines Limited Senior Vice-President Norrie Ramsay said in a written statement to […]
