Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he would “100 per cent” approve the contentious Keystone XL pipeline previously rejected by President Barack Obama, but he wants “a better deal” for the U.S.
“I want the Keystone pipeline. But the people of the United States should be given a piece – a significant piece – of the profits,” Trump said Thursday at a press conference in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Trump has previously said he would support the pipeline, which would directly link crude oil from the Alberta oilsands to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.
The key to sealing the deal, Trump says, is eminent domain: a Constitutional power that allows the U.S. government to seize private property and convert it to public use so long as “just compensation” is paid.
“If you read the documents on the Keystone pipeline, the whole big section is dedicated to eminent domain. Because without eminent domain, that pipeline wouldn’t go 10 feet – you understand that,” he said.
Eminent domain was a hotly contested topic in the Republican debates, with Jeb Bush and Ted Cruz both attacking Trump for his support of government intervention in private business – an idea that runs counter to traditional Republican orthodoxy.
Trump made similar comments about invoking eminent domain to approve the Keystone XL pipeline in a February debate.
Trump also responded to questions about TransCanada’s proposed Upland pipeline, a 400-kilometre project that would connect crude oil produced in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Dakota to transport hubs near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border.
“I’m not aware of that one but we would certainly take a look at it and I will tell you my basic bias would be to approve,” Trump said. “I’m going to look at anything.”
According to TransCanada, the Upland pipeline would transport approximately 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Trump had officially clinched the Republican nomination with 1,239 delegates – slightly surpassing the 1,237 threshold. The support comes from a small group unbound delegates who told AP they would support Trump at the party’s national convention in July.
The Keystone XL pipeline was rejected by Obama in November 2015 after more than seven years of debate and pressure from environmental groups. TransCanada has since launched legal action claiming that it was treated unfairly under the North American Free Trade Agreement and that Obama overstepped his constitutional powers in his decision.
