General

As Obama supports part of Keystone XL, TransCanada stops to remove a pig from a pipe

As Obama shifts Washington opinion on Keystone XL, TransCanada announces a shutdown to remove a pig

Just a couple of months after rejecting TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline project, U.S. President Barack Obama has first shifted White House opinion to support a shortened version of the pipeline, a move seen by environmentalists as a ‘dirty trick’.

On Tuesday, Obama will be speaking from a warehouse used to store pipes for the new project in Cushing, Okla., the very starting point of the new pipeline. The president is on a tour to market his record on energy, after growing criticism from the Republicans over gas prices in the United States.

TransCanada, meanwhile, had an important announcement to make on Monday: the company will shut down its existing pipeline running to Cushing from Hardisty, Alta., for a few days in April to find and remove a pig. Pig in this case is not of the porcine variety. It’s a tool for cleaning the pipeline called “pipeline inspection gauge” that goes by its acronym. A company spokesman said the closure shouldn’t affect its customers.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: