Bismarck, N.D. 鈥� Donald Trump would approve the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline project, but true to form, he wants a piece, for the U.S. He would also look at TransCanada鈥檚 proposed Upland Pipeline. Not familiar with the project, he said his bias would be to approve it, as well.
On May 26, Trump clinched the necessary number of delegates to secure his place as the Republican nominee for president of the United States. On that day he travelled to Bismarck, N.D., to speak on the closing day of the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in his first major policy speech on energy.
The Upland Pipeline would be an integral part of the proposed Energy East Pipeline, allowing North Dakota to ship up to 300,000 barrels per day from Williston, N.D., to Moosomin, Sask. where it would join up with the proposed Cromer Lateral (taking Saskatchewan oil) and feed into the 1.1 million barrel per day Energy East mainline.
In a buoyant mood, Trump took numerous reporters鈥� questions in a pre-rally press conference. Prior to addressing the press, numerous oil executives, including Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm, took their place behind the podium. 聽During this press availability he took several questions from Pipeline News. Here is the exchange:
Pipeline News: Sir, I think I鈥檓 the only Canadian press here. The Keystone XL project caused great disruption to Canada-U.S. relations. Would you approve the project? Would you invite TransCanada to build it?
Donald Trump: Yes I would. Totally. It should be approved.
I鈥檓 not saying we shouldn鈥檛 get a better deal. See, Obama would approve it or not approve it. Hillary is probably not going to approve it, from what I understand. I look at it differently. I would absolutely approve it, 100 per cent, but I want a better deal. Because listen: here鈥檚 the difference between Harold Hamm, and myself, and you, or let鈥檚 say, Obama, who doesn鈥檛 know what the hell he鈥檚 doing. Here鈥檚 the difference. I鈥檓 going to say, 鈥淔olk鈥檚, we鈥檙e going to let you build a pipeline. But give us a piece.鈥�
We鈥檙e going to have to use eminent domain. You know, remember when all the conservatives went, 鈥淓minent domain! Eminent domain!鈥�
Well, their favourite project is the Keystone pipeline. If you read the Keystone documents, a big section is devoted to eminent domain. Because without eminent domain, that pipeline wouldn鈥檛 go 10 feet. You understand that.
I want the Keystone Pipeline, but the people of the United States should be given a piece, a significant piece, of the profits. Right now Obama would have said, 鈥淵es鈥� or 鈥淣o,鈥� and most politicians would say, 鈥淵es, we鈥檒l approve it,鈥� or 鈥淣o, we won鈥檛.鈥�
I鈥檓 saying, 鈥淵es, absolutely, we鈥檒l approve it. But I want a piece of the profits because we鈥檙e making it happen through eminent domain and other things. I want a piece of the profits for the Unites States. That鈥檚 how we鈥檙e going to make our country rich again, just one way out of thousands, but that鈥檚 how we鈥檙e going to make our country rich again and how we鈥檙e going to make America great again. You understand what I鈥檓 saying?鈥�
Pipeline News: TransCanada would like to build a pipeline from Williston that Mr. Hamm could actually ship his oil through, into Saskatchewan 鈥�
Trump: This is a different pipeline?
Pipeline News: It鈥檚 called the Upland Pipeline, 300,000 barrels a day, TransCanada 鈥�
Trump: Do you like the idea?
Pipeline News: It鈥檚 great, it鈥檚 basically 鈥�
Trump: No, no. Do you like the idea? As a reporter? You鈥檙e not supposed to say, but that鈥檚 okay.
(laughter in room)
Pipeline News: I鈥檓 the only person in Saskatchewan who writes on energy. I love the idea.
Trump: We would look at it. Look, I鈥檓 going to look at anything. I鈥檓 going to look at anything. A lot of times, pipelines are so much better. Instead of going on trains and having all the problems caused by that, it鈥檚 underground. Environmentally, they鈥檙e better in many cases. But we鈥檙e going to take a look at it.
Pipeline News: The difference is this pipeline would allow Mr. Hamm to export oil through Canada, into Canada, and also overseas through a Canadian port.
Trump:Okay, well I鈥檓 not aware of that one, but we will certainly take a look at it. I will tell you my basic bias would be to approve. I want to approve for jobs, and the concept of pipelines is okay, if they鈥檙e going from the right place to the right place, okay?
