FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 18, 2021
CONTACTS: Dustin Ogdin, Northern Plains Communications Director, dustin@northernplains.org
BILLINGS, Mont. – Canada’s CBC News first reported over the weekend that President-elect Joe Biden plans to make good on a campaign promise to stop the Keystone XL pipeline by rescinding the cross-border KXL permit as early as his first day in office. Since then, numerous press outlets including Politico and Reuters have confirmed the reports with no public disputes from Biden or his transition team.
“We applaud reports that President-elect Biden will keep his promise to stop Keystone XL, putting the health of our climate above corporate balance sheets,” said Dena Hoff, a Glendive, MT farmer and member of Northern Plains Resource Council. “Alongside farmers, ranchers, indigenous communities, and countless others, we have stood strong for over a decade. We have worked to protect not just our air, land, water, and climate, but also the democratic processes, tribal rights, and property rights that have been trampled throughout this fight.”
Groups across the nation have demanded that Biden stop the Candian-owned tar sands pipeline project since his election victory. These efforts included a widely publicized open letter to President-elect Biden from Northern Plains members signed by hundreds of concerned Montanans and delivered to Biden’s transition team.
“We will continue to stand with our allies to ensure protection of the resources we depend on for our lives and livelihoods,” concluded Hoff.
Northern Plains has played a role in the pipeline since it was initially proposed in 2009. At that time, Northern Plains formed an organization of landowners on the proposed pipeline route (called the Northern Plains Pipeline Landowners Group) to help them protect their land, water, and property rights.
Since then, Northern Plains has been involved in numerous legal challenges at the federal and state level over the Keystone XL pipeline, most recently challenging a rushed and unlawful certification process in Montana.
