CEO of Total SA pushes for US approval of Keystone XL

The Chief Executive Officer of French energy company Total SA, Christophe de Margerie, has urged the US to endorse the northern leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. The decision to approve the Keystone project has currently been delayed for review by the State Department.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Margerie told press that “the pipeline has to be done” and “it’s now up to the US to make an effort.” This announcement follows Margerie’s earlier statement at the Council on Foreign Relations in October 2013 that the pipeline project should be treated as a matter of global politics. “I would take into account the fact that Canada needs it seriously, and that's part of the decision of the country,” said Margerie.

Canada’s Foreign Minister, John Baird, recently expressed frustration over the delay in approving the pipeline project, stating, “The time for a decision on Keystone is now, even if it is not the right one.” If approved, the US$ 5.4 billion pipeline would transport crude oil from Canada and the Northern Plains to refineries on the Gulf Coast, relieving overcapacity in Alberta, the Midwest and Canada.

Edited from various sources by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/24012014/ceo_of_total_sa_pushes_for_us_approval_of_the_keystone_xl_pipeline_55/