The federal district court for the Southern District of Texas dismissed a lawsuit brought by Texas and 22 other states to challenge President Biden’s January 2021 revocation of the presidential permit for the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline project. The permit allowed construction of a 1.2-mile segment of the pipeline that crossed the Canada-U.S. border. The project’s developers announced their termination of the project in June 2021. The court found that the case was moot since the project had been terminated, and that the exception to mootness for cases capable of repetition but evading review did not apply, both because the plaintiffs did not demonstrate that it would be “virtually impossible to litigate the validity” of Biden’s action because of the short duration of the process and also because any recurrence would require judicial intervention.

Challenge to President Biden's revocation of the presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and associated actions.

Texas v. Biden

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Texas Federal Court Said Challenge to Revocation of Keystone XL Permit Was Moot

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Texas Federal Court Said Challenge to Revocation of Keystone XL Permit Was Moot

Policy instrument

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Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Finance