A multi-state lawsuit against President Joe Biden filed in March 2021 had an amended complaint filed on Tuesday that was joined in support by Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody.
The multi-state lawsuit relates to President Biden’s decision to revoke the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline that was initially permitted by former President Donald Trump in 2019.
Although the Keystone XL pipeline would not appear to significantly affect Floridians, Moody is still fighting for Floridians whose jobs would be affected by the pipeline closure. “We must help these Floridians get back to work. That is why, I am joining attorneys general from across our country to put an end to President Biden’s unlawful executive order and resume construction of the Keystone Pipeline to get Floridians back to work, increase our energy independence and enhance our national security,” Moody said in a statement regarding her decision to join the lawsuit.
Before Biden’s cancellation, the Keystone XL pipeline was intended to start in Canada, cross the border in Montana, then stretch to South Dakota and Nebraska where the oil would then be sent to other Keystone pipelines that end up in oil refineries along the Gulf Coast, resulting in approximately 42,100 jobs with an estimated $2 billion in employment earnings.
In addition to the concern about the number of potential jobs that are lost due to the pipeline cancellation, Moody along with the coalition of other states, argue that the executive order signed by Biden when he took office was “inconsistent with the Constitution” in that the Constitution “ceded the power to regulate interstate and international commerce to Congress.”
After Tuesday, Moody and Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor make Florida and Alaska the 22nd and 23rd states to join the lawsuit since its initial filing by Texas and Montana.
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Casey Owens is a contributing writer at The Florida Capital Star. Follow him on Twitter at @cowensreports. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Keystone Pipeline” by shannonpatrick17. CC BY 2.0.
