President Biden at the White House on Wednesday. Photo: Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images
21 states filed a lawsuit against President Biden on Wednesday over his executive order to rescind permits for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Driving the news: The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Texas, aims to overturn Biden's decision, arguing that he overstepped his authority by ordering a cross-border permit for the Canada-U.S. pipeline to be revoked.
- Texas and Montana lead the complaint.
- Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in a statement: "The power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce belongs to Congress — not the President."
The big picture: The controversial pipeline caused an outcry among climate activists when it was proposed to carry crude oil from Alberta to Nebraska in 2008.
- Construction finally began last year after then-President Trump issued a presidential permit.
- Biden canceled the permits as part of efforts to address the climate crisis, raising the ire of Republicans.
For the record: While some of the states represented in the suit, like Kentucky, Louisiana and Kansas, have Democratic governors, all have Republican attorneys general.
- The Biden administration did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Read the complaint, via DocumentCloud:
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