Overnight Energy: Company officially nixes Keystone XL pipeline | Government watchdog finds failings, but no Trump influence, in clearing of Lafayette Square

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Today we’re looking at the official termination of the Keystone XL pipeline, friction after a top White House adviser suggested climate aspects could be removed from an infrastructure package and an OIG report on the clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square.

STONE DEAD: Company officially nixes Keystone XL pipeline

The company behind the Keystone XL pipeline announced on Wednesday that it’s officially scrapping the project after President BidenJoe BidenWhite House announces major boost to global vaccine supply U.S. in talks to buy Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to send abroad: report Pentagon to consider authorizing airstrikes in Afghanistan if country falls into crisis: report MORE nixed a border-crossing permit for the project.

A statement from TC Energy said that after “a comprehensive review of its options, and in consultation with its partner, the Government of Alberta, it has terminated the Keystone XL Pipeline Project.”

“We value the strong relationships we’ve built through the development of this Project and the experience we’ve gained,” company president and CEO François Poirier said in a statement.

The company also said that it will work with regulators and others to safely terminate the project.

The story so far: On his first day in office, Biden decided to revoke the key permit for the project, garnering cheers from many environmental and indigenous groups and ire from conservatives.

In an executive order doing so, Biden argued that the proposed oil pipeline “disserves” the U.S. national interest and that “leaving the Keystone XL pipeline permit in place would not be consistent with my Administration’s economic and climate imperatives.”

Since then, a cohort of states with Republican attorneys general have sued Biden over the decision.

Read more about the decision here

GINAH: Democrats blast Biden climate adviser over infrastructure remarks

Congressional Democrats from the party’s centrist and left wings blasted comments by White House climate adviser Gina McCarthyGina McCarthyOvernight Energy: Company officially nixes Keystone XL pipeline | Government watchdog finds failings, but no Trump influence, in clearing of Lafayette Square Democrats blast Biden climate adviser over infrastructure remarks Democrat predicts ‘big fight’ over carbon pricing in the Senate MORE suggesting the White House was willing to remove climate measures from its infrastructure plan.

In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, McCarthy said that “while every piece like a clean electricity standard may not end [up] in the final version” of an infrastructure package, “we know that it is necessary, we know that the utilities want it, we are going to fight like crazy to make sure that it’s in there. And then we’re going to be open to a range of other investment strategies.”

Sen. Martin HeinrichMartin Trevor HeinrichOvernight Energy: Company officially nixes Keystone XL pipeline | Government watchdog finds failings, but no Trump influence, in clearing of Lafayette Square Democrats blast Biden climate adviser over infrastructure remarks EPA to revise Trump rollback to water pollution protections MORE (D-N.M.) tweeted in response that a package “that goes light on climate and clean energy should not count on every Democratic vote.”

House progressives also take aim: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezOvernight Energy: Company officially nixes Keystone XL pipeline | Government watchdog finds failings, but no Trump influence, in clearing of Lafayette Square Ocasio-Cortez: Democrats ‘burning precious time’ with GOP talks Democrats blast Biden climate adviser over infrastructure remarks MORE (D-N.Y.), who has been one of the highest-profile congressional backers of the Green New Deal and other ambitious climate policies, responded to Heinrich with a simple, “Yep.”

“[Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellOvernight Energy: Company officially nixes Keystone XL pipeline | Government watchdog finds failings, but no Trump influence, in clearing of Lafayette Square Ocasio-Cortez: Democrats ‘burning precious time’ with GOP talks Democrats blast Biden climate adviser over infrastructure remarks MORE and the Koch brothers are not worth setting the planet on fire for. I know some Dems may disagree with me, but that’s my unpopular opinion of the day,” she added.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), an ally of Ocasio-Cortez, tweeted that the climate provisions of the bill are “literally a matter of life or death,” adding, “Our plan on climate needs to be built to sustain our planet, not the fossil fuel industry.”

Read more about the pushback here

LONG-TERM PARKING: Government watchdog finds failings, but no Trump influence, in clearing of Lafayette Square

A government watchdog has determined the law enforcement agencies responsible for clearing protesters gathered outside the White House last summer failed to fully warn the crowd to disperse while fractured radio communications led officers to use chemical irritants that had not been authorized.

The report from the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is the first to evaluate the June 1 clearing of protesters shortly before former President TrumpDonald TrumpFormer House Republican to challenge DeWine for Ohio gubernatorial nomination GOP senators press Justice Department to compare protest arrests to Capitol riot Overnight Defense: Austin directs classified initiatives to counter China | Biden emphasizes alliances in speech to troops | Lockdown lifted at Texas base after reported shooting MORE crossed Lafayette Square for a photo-op at a nearby church with a Bible in hand.

While the event spurred accusations from lawmakers and others that the protesters were cleared to enable Trump’s passage to the church, the report ultimately determined that Trump’s plans to visit the park did not influence the officers’ decision to clear it.

The OIG found that while law enforcement learned on the day of the incident that Trump might visit, U.S. Park Police (USPP), the lead agency overseeing Lafayette Square, had already planned to clear the park in order to install additional fencing around the White House.

“The evidence established that relevant USPP officials had made those decisions and had begun implementing the operational plan several hours before they knew of a potential Presidential visit to the park, which occurred later that day,” the report states.