Canadian PM confident White House will allow Keystone pipeline

Harper’s confidence is bolstered by his ability to wring trade concessions from President Barack Obama and his predecessor, George W. Bush. Since taking office in 2006, Harper has ironed out differences over lumber duties, won an exemption for Canada on “Buy American” provisions and agreed to negotiate new measures to ease congestion at the U.S. border.

The proposed $7 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline faces opposition from environmentalists, who are planning another big protest at the White House on Nov. 6.

Over 1,200 people were arrested in peaceful protests against the project near the White House over the summer. The State Department plans to make a final decision on the project around the end of the year.

The pipeline would expand oil sands imports by bringing hundreds of thousands of barrels a day to Gulf Coast refineries.