Tester Statement on Termination of Keystone XL Pipeline Project

Following news that TC Energy is terminating the Keystone XL pipeline project, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement:

“I am bitterly disappointed to learn that construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will no longer be moving forward. I supported this project for years because of the good-paying jobs and tax revenue it would have created for the folks who live and work in Montana. It’s frustrating that national politics killed a project that would have yielded big benefits for our state, but I am going to keep fighting to create jobs in rural Montana, ensure our energy independence, and get our state’s economy firing on all cylinders.”

Tester fought tirelessly to build the Keystone XL pipeline and bring its job and tax benefits to Eastern Montana for more than a decade. He urged the Biden Administration to reverse its decision to cancel the permit and come back to the table to sit down with stakeholders—including TC Energy and Montana’s Tribes—to chart a path forward on the job-creating project together, and he cosponsored bipartisan legislation to override President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL permit and allow the project the move forward.

Tester also broke with his party to approve the pipeline’s construction in 2015, and when former President Obama vetoed the bill, Tester voted to override the veto.