Just hours after taking office, Joe Biden signed a series of decrees, one of which relates to the return of the United States to the Paris climate agreement but also another, a campaign pledge, with the construction of the Keystone pipeline between the United States and Canada stopped.
His first telephone interview with a foreign leader in this case Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister may therefore be a little tense.
Indeed, this 7.5 billion euros project is supported by Ottawa.
The two leaders "will certainly discuss very important relations" between the United States and Canada as well as "its decision on the Keystone pipeline", admitted Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the White House.
A project relaunched by Donald Trump
From the outset, this pipeline project launched in 2008 between the United States and Canada has been criticized by environmentalists and Native Americans.
It was canceled for the first time by Barack Obama for environmental reasons and then put back on track by Donald Trump for economic reasons ...
After hardly had he congratulated the new President of the United States that Justin Trudeau said he was "disappointed" by this decision.
“We applaud the president's commitment to fight climate change, but we are disappointed with his decision on the Keystone XL project,” explained Justin Trudeau, adding: “however, we recognize the president's decision to hold the promise he made during the election campaign.
"
The Canadian group TC Energy, which builds Keystone, for its part announced the suspension of work a few hours before the signing of the decree by Joe Biden.
According to this group based in Calgary, in Western Canada, the decision of the new American president will result in “the layoffs of thousands of unionized workers.
"
"This is not how you treat your friend and ally"
Canada has the third-largest proven reserves in the world, mainly contained in the oil sands of the west whose exploitation is criticized for its environmental impact.
But Justin Trudeau, under pressure from the conservative opposition but especially from the oil province of Alberta in difficulty because of the fall in the price of black gold, gave his support.
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VIDEO. Joe Biden takes oath and becomes 46th President of the United States
Canada is "the first energy supplier to the United States," he recalled.
As such, we contribute to the energy security and economic competitiveness of the United States, and we support thousands of jobs on both sides of the border.
Even more angry the Premier of Alberta (West) Jason Kenney immediately denounced a decision "deeply disturbing" adding: "This is not how you treat your friend and ally.
"
As of 2023, this pipeline was intended to transport more than 800,000 barrels of oil per day between the Canadian province of Alberta and the American refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
TC Energy resumed construction last year on the northern portion of the 1,947 km pipeline between the Canadian border and the state of Nebraska.
Work on the southern portion to Texas has already been completed.
A 2 trillion plan for the climate
In the meantime, Joe Biden seems determined to fight climate change.
"We are going to fight climate change like we have never done before," he said from the Oval Office.
Appointed Special Envoy for the Climate, John Kerry said that the return of the United States to this agreement "restored America's credibility", but was only a starting point.
“It's time to get down to business,” he tweeted.
A determination hailed by many leaders of the planet and in particular by Emmanuel Macron.
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For this, Joe Biden plans to bring together the leaders of the most polluting nations for a summit where he intends to convince these countries to revise their commitments upwards.
The new administration also plans to impose strict methane limits on new oil and gas infrastructure, a spokesperson for President-elect Jamal Brown's transition team told Vox.
And it is likely that Joe Biden will in the short term restore the series of environmental regulations that had been canceled by Donald Trump, such as car emissions standards or even the protection of 30% of American lands and waters. by 2030.
The Democratic president will present to Congress next month his $ 2 trillion climate plan, which is supposed to put green measures at the heart of the US economy.
During his campaign, he pledged to "face the climate crisis, build an economy based on clean energy, tackle environmental injustice and create millions of well-paying union jobs" .
These measures are very similar to the “Green New Deal” advocated by the progressive fringe of the Democratic Party.
Except that in this area, the game is far from over. The Democratic Party does not have sufficient control in the Senate and to get certain projects through, the challenge will be to rally Republicans who, like Donald Trump, support fossil fuels and the economy of this sector. And in this area, if Joe Biden wants to unite America, he will have to move very quickly.
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