President-elect Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, will tour Canada’s oil sands in January, hinting at approval of the Keystone XL pipeline being a top priority when the incoming administration takes over Jan. 20.
The head of a conservative group in Alberta, Canada, announced the tour ahead of the Trump transition team, which has not commented on the trip. Nevertheless, several Canadian news outlets, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, are reporting the trip as a done deal.
The conservative Alberta Prosperity Fund that announced Conway’s visit has been a vocal opponent of climate regulations in the province and has welcomed close relations between Trump and Canada on fossil fuel development.
The fund said Conway will visit the oil sands on Jan. 12, about a week before Trump assumes office, and will deliver a speech at a private dinner held by the Alberta group, according to a statement issued by the prosperity fund.
“This visit by such an influential member of a U.S. administration should stand as a call to action for all Alberta industry,” said Barry McNamar, the founder and president of the group.
He said he wants Conway to return from the trip with an “informed attitude” when it comes to Alberta’s export products, notably crude oil.
McNamar did not mention Keystone XL. Yet, moving his region’s prized exports would entail its construction to connect production in Alberta to refiners on the Gulf Coast.
A portion of the pipeline has been constructed, but the part that crosses the U.S. border with Canada was scrapped by President Obama last year in a jarring decision that was meant to show international support for the Paris climate change deal.
The Trump camp did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Conway trip.
