Decision time for US Keystone XL pipeline
President Obama must make a decision on the TransCanada proposed pipeline
After six years of debate, hopes are rising for a go-ahead decision for a pipeline which will flow Canadian heavy crude direct to refineries on the US Gulf Coast. Although the president, Barack Obama, opposes the project on environmental grounds, the weight of industry and political lobbying could force his hand. The $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline, which TransCanada Corporation wants to build, will be a 36-inch line extending 1,897 km from Hardisty in Alberta, Canada, to Steele City in Nebraska, US. At Steele City it will connect with an existing TransCanada pipeline running to the refineries at Port Arthur, Texas - and an extension due to be completed this year will take crude to the refin
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
