Alberta premier making Keystone pipeline push

Alberta Premier Alison Redford is making a full-court lobbying press for the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline as the White House decision on the project draws closer.

{mosads}Redford will have meetings in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday with officials from the State Department, which is leading the federal review of Keystone, the Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

She will also meet with Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) — who both support Keystone — and members of the House, according to an itinerary her office circulated.

“We need to ensure American decision-makers have a clear understanding of the responsible energy development and the strong environmental policies we have in Alberta,” Redford said in late October when announcing plans for the trip, her fifth visit to Washington as premier.

E2-Wire interviewed Redford on an earlier visit in February.

TransCanada Corp.’s proposed pipeline would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels per day from Alberta’s oil sands across the border en route to Gulf Coast refineries.

It would also carry oil from the booming Bakken region in North Dakota.

The State Department is working to finalize its latest environmental study of the project. A final White House decision on Keystone, a project that faces heavy opposition from environmentalists, is expected next year.