May 28 2019 - Trump Gives False Information about Keystone XL Pipeline at Meeting with Business Leaders in Japan

Tokyo, Japan (May 28th, 2019) – While meeting with business leaders in Japan President Trump gave false information regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline. TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) announced on May 6th that the KXL pipeline was delayed due to “ongoing legal challenges” many of which involving Indigenous communities, including the Indigenous Environmental Network.

“You know the Keystone XL Pipeline — the big one — I did that in my first week in office. Forty-eight thousand jobs. And that’s now under construction.” Trump said to business leaders in Japan.

The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is one of the groups that has an active lawsuit against the President of the United States for an illegal approval of Keystone XL construction. IEN, along with the North Coast Rivers Alliance (NCRA), had won a previous lawsuit for the federal approval of the tar sands project. On April 23, 2019, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Fort Belknap Indian Nations, represented by the Native American Rights Fund, filed an amended complaint against TransCanada and President Trump over the handling of the Keystone XL pipeline citing the company did not follow tribal law among other concerns.

Of further note, TC Energy has stated that although they will not be doing construction in 2019, they will be pursuing pre-construction activities along the route.

Dallas Goldtooth, Keep it in the Ground Campaigner said, “President Trump is obviously suffering from delusions of grandeur, because Keystone XL is NOT being constructed, mainly due to the tenacity of native peoples along its proposed route. Our legal actions, public protests, and advocacy have stopped this dirty project for over 10 years, and we will continue to hold that line.”

As a part of the ongoing resistance to the dirty tar sands project, the Sicangu Lakota Nation via the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Utility Commission will be holding a public hearing on the TC Energy's Keystone XL Pipeline.

The hearing will be conducted over two days. The purpose of this hearing is for the public to present any concerns or complaints concerning the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. The hearing is open to all members of the public to provide testimony, both Native and non-Native.

Contact: Jennifer K. Falcon, jennifer@ienearth.org, 209-814-9670

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Established in 1990, The Indigenous Environmental Network is an international environmental justice nonprofit that works with tribal grassroots organizations to build the capacity of Indigenous communities. IEN’s activities include empowering Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, the health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.