Keystone XL Pipeline Permit Revocation

January 20, 2021

President Biden signed Executive Order 13990, which revoked the presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project. The permit had been issued under the Trump administration after an extensive regulatory review. The revocation was based on concerns about climate change and environmental impacts. The order was largely challenged on grounds of executive overreach and instability in permitting processes rather than fundamental constitutional violations. Property rights and reliance interests were implicated, but courts found the President's permitting authority gave sufficient discretion for permit revocation. The constitutional issues involved the scope of executive permitting authority over border-crossing projects, the stability of regulatory decisions across administrations, and whether environmental concerns justified overriding energy independence and economic development priorities.