Alberta Announces Massive Subsidies for Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

WASHINGTON – The government of Alberta announced today that it is making a direct investment of more than $1 billion into the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and a further $4.2 billion in loan guarantees. NRDC will continue to fight this project in the courts and support the efforts of Indigenous communities, farmers and ranchers along the Keystone XL route to protect their communities and stop this project.

This announcement came shortly after the province laid off 20,000 public sector workers.

The following statement is from Anthony Swift, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Canada Project:

“The embattled Keystone XL tar sands pipeline has always been a bad deal for both Alberta and the United States. Rather than making a smart investment in the long-term health of the Province, the government of Alberta is putting billions of dollars into a risky project that makes no sense in a world committed to transitioning to clean energy.  The Keystone XL puts communities at risk – and the decision to throw good money after bad will not change that fact.”  

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.