Minister Dustin Duncan on Jan. 24, 2017. Photo by Manfred Joehnck.
The Saskatchewan government welcomes new American President Donald Trump’s decision to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which will cross through part of southwest Saskatchewan.
Premier Brad Wall calls it a win for Canada and the U.S., energy industries, and consumers.
Saskatchewan Energy Minister Dustin Duncan says there will be economic gains for the province in a number of areas.
“Overall it’s a good day. Certainly we need to see what the conditions are that President Trump has talked about,” he said. “But it’s a long time coming. This is something that Premier Wall has worked on very hard for a long time with governors in the United States, and we are very pleased it has been approved.”
The pipeline will run from eastern Alberta through the southwest corner of Saskatchewan and on to Nebraska.
It will provide about 2,200 jobs in Alberta and Saskatchewan and cost about $1.2 billion to construct for the Alberta-Saskatchewan portion.
Evraz is expected to provide pipe for the project.
Trump also signed an executive order approving the Dakota Access Pipeline.
That pipeline was the subject of a long and bitter standoff involving the Dakota Sioux Nation at Standing Rock, North Dakota.