Trump pipeline approval shows U.S., Canada ‘still can get things done’: Wyoming governor

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon speaks about what the approval of the Bridger Pipeline project says about the U.S. as an export destination for Canadian crude.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says the potential pipeline expansion project U.S. President Donald Trump approved last week is a positive sign of “cross-border communication” and co-operation, after more than a year of tension stemming from the trade war.

Last week, Trump signed an order authorizing the Bridger Pipeline Expansion, a proposed project that would revive portions of the cancelled Keystone XL and see more than 1 million barrels of Canadian oil transported from Alberta south of the border to Wyoming.

In an interview on CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos on Monday, Gordon said the news is “wonderful,” and added it’s another example of his state working with Alberta on potential energy opportunities.

“First and foremost, I think it demonstrates that we still can get things done. That’s critical,” Gordon said, when asked about concerns when it comes to the reliability of the United States as an export destination amid a still-ongoing trade war.

“The second piece to that, and I know Canadians also have shared this concern, we have countries on the Pacific Rim, that really are looking for access to gas, to oil, and the ability to be able to move those products offshore is going to be particularly critical,” Gordon added.

The longtime Republican governor said projects like the Bridger Pipeline Expansion also give both Wyoming and Alberta the chance to prove they can “do energy correctly.”

“I would hope that Canada and the United States would continue to work to figure out ways that we can do better job co-operating,” he also said.

Asked how he would categorize the importance of cross-border co-operation, specifically when it comes to energy, Gordon said: “I think we share a lot of common values.”

“We both understand how important it is that we use energy correctly, that we continue to improve the technology, and that we, in fact, can power the nation and this continent,” he said.

The Keystone XL project received significant pushback, from communities along the route among others, before it was ultimately killed by former U.S. president Joe Biden. The Bridger project, however, would follow a different route south of the border from the one previously outlined.

For that reason, Gordon said he’s fairly confident the pipeline expansion will get built.

Trump, meanwhile, has previously said the U.S. doesn’t need Canadian resources, pointing specifically to oil and gas.

Gordon said Trump’s order granting a permit to Bridger to pursue the expansion is a “positive indicator” of the Trump administration’s willingness to work together to further energy security.

“I know that there’s been a little bit of a dust up, and I’m certainly not wanting to either contribute or detract from that,” he said. “I think those are matters that are in Washington and (Ottawa).”

“But to me, I think one of the one of the key elements here is trying to figure out how, as states and provinces, we can do a better job working together,” he also said. “And hopefully that can convince the folks at the national capitals that there is a way forward here, and that we really do better as friends than we do as antagonists.”

With files from CTV News’ Judy Trinh