The Obama administration is asking a federal judge in Houston to throw out the lawsuit filed in January by TransCanada in a challenge of President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline.
The government filed paperwork recently asking U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt to dismiss the lawsuit or grant summary judgment against TransCanada. In doing so, the administration contended that vetoed legislation doesn’t count as the will of Congress when it comes to limiting presidential authority.
The January lawsuit accused President Obama of exceeding his constitutional authority n rejecting the pipeline. It also claimed the White House violated a historic trade agreement in refusing the Canadian company to build the pipeline. The lawsuit also seeks $15 billion in damages for the “loss of value” of assets related to Keystone.
TransCanada’s lawsuit charged the President “intruded on Congress’s power to regulate interstate and international commerce” and disregarded the will of the legislative branch.
