Trump to Approve $22-Billion Freight Rail Project

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will grant approval to a $22-billion freight rail project connecting Alaska and Alberta. The president tweeted Friday that based on the recommendations of Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, he will be issuing a presidential permit approving the A2A Rail project, according to CBC News.

The project would build a new rail line from Fort McMurray, Alta., through the Northwest Territories and Yukon to the Delta Junction in Alaska, where it will connect with existing rail and continue on to ports near Anchorage.

The next steps will include going through environmental impact assessments, and obtaining the correct regulatory approvals in both the U.S. and Canada.

A2A Rail has said that if built, the project will create more than 18,000 jobs for Canadian workers and bring in $60 billion to the country’s GDP through 2040.