US has no plans to reauthorize Keystone XL pipeline amid energy concerns: White House

The Biden administration does not plan to restart the Keystone XL oil pipeline amid concerns about rising gasoline prices and volatility in the energy market, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday.

"There are no plans for that and it would not address any of the problems we're having currently," Psaki said during a press briefing when asked about possibly reauthorizing the Keystone XL pipeline.

Keystone is an oil pipeline system that moves Alberta crude oil from the Canadian town of Hardisty to refineries and tank farms in the US states of Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas. The first three phases of the system are currently operational, however, the construction of the fourth phase, better known as Keystone XL, was planned to transport oil to the US state of Nebraska.

On Monday, Albertan Prime Minister Jason Kenney said that the US and Canada could discuss shipping nearly 1 million barrels of oil through the Keystone XL pipeline should it be reapproved.

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order in January to rescind the Keystone XL construction permit granted in 2019 by former President Donald Trump.

On Wednesday, Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports over the situation in Ukraine. (ANI/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )