The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump from issuing an executive order requiring federal contractors to use new construction technology that the pipeline’s supporters have hailed as a game-changer.
The U.s.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Friday that Trump’s order does not go far enough in enforcing the law requiring federal contractor contractors to make significant investments in technology that improves safety, security and quality.
Trump’s order, which he signed in January, is set to take effect on Jan. 1, two days before a deadline for a final decision on whether the project will proceed, which has been pushed back several times.
The decision could have a ripple effect on the Trump administration’s effort to advance Keystone XL, which would carry crude oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast.
Trump, a Republican, had promised to expedite a review of the project and had pushed for the project to begin construction on his 100-day agenda before a November presidential election.
The administration has said the pipeline would create 10,000 construction jobs, reduce carbon emissions by 30 million barrels per day and increase production by as much as 50 percent.
The Trump administration had hoped to have the pipeline built by 2019.
Instead, the pipeline will be on hold indefinitely as the Trump Administration works on a plan to expeditiously approve the project.
