States sue Biden administration over Keystone XL pipeline revocation
Multiple states, including Texas and Montana, are suing the Biden administration for revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit.
According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the lawsuit says that President Joe Biden doesn't have the unilateral authority to change the permitting, saying the power resides with Congress.
The suit is joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
Because the line would run through multiple U.S. states, Congress should have the final say over whether it's built, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Texas.
The oil industry and Republicans quickly condemned Biden's decision in January to rescind the permit for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. The move, among Biden's first executive actions, resulted in the layoff of according to TC Energy, the Canadian company behind the Keystone pipeline.
The 1,700-mile pipeline was planned to carry roughly 800,000 barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Biden cancelled its permit over longstanding concerns that burning oil sands crude would make climate change worse.
Environmental groups applauded Biden’s move.
Some moderate Democratic lawmakers also have urged Biden to reverse his decision, including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana.
The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report.