And really, if President Obama sticks to his word, he should be.

TransCanada Corp. Chief Executive Officer Russ Girling said he is “very confident” the controversial Keystone XL pipeline will be approved by President Barack Obama.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, Girling said the review process is near its end and he expects a decision “in the coming weeks we’d see a permit … that’s our hope.”

“I remain very confident. It’s a very important project” and the safest way to move oil to the U.S., Girling said. “I remain 100% confident this project makes sense for energy security and all the jobs and economic benefits that come with it,” he added.

During the five years and counting during which well-monied environmentalist interests have successfully kept the fate of the Keystone pipeline’s northern extension in political limbo, its opponents have incessantly tried to argue that approving the international border-crossing leg of the pipeline will speed climate change along by providing Canada with easier access to American refineries and ergo economically enable Canada to develop their oil sands — but these opponents consistently fail to address the fact that Canada is developing their oil sands, with our without Keystone XL. There are other, less efficient, less environmentally-friendly transport methods than pipeline via which they can get their oil to market, as well as other, less scrupulous buyers to whom they can sell it; and yes, the Canadian energy firm is already preparing for both of those contingencies. Exhibit A:

TransCanada might develop a rail bridge from Canada to Nebraska if work on the northern leg of its proposed Keystone XL pipeline continues to be delayed, the company’s CEO said this week.

The northern leg of the pipeline, which would carry crude from oil sands in Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries, requires approval from President Obama since it crosses an international border.The five-year delay of the pipeline has the Calgary-based company exploring other options, the Financial Post reports.

“If we need to bridge with rail, we will bridge,” CEO Russ Girling told the Financial Post on Tuesday.

And Exhibit B, emphasis mine:

A top oil lobby said U.S. energy security is “at stake” with a Canadian panel’s decision to okay a major pipeline that would carry crude to the Pacific on Thursday.

Canada’s National Energy Board decided to move forward on the Northern Gateway Pipeline, which will carry crude from Alberta’s oil sands to the Pacific Coast for delivery to China. The project will still need to be approved by the Canadian government.

The move backed claims by the U.S. oil industry that Canada’s product will get to market with or without Keystone XL.

Last summer, President Obama assured the eco-radicals that he wouldn’t approve Keystone XL unless his administration concludes (as they already have several times over now) that it won’t “significantly exacerbate” the problem of climate change, but seeing as how Keystone XL’s primary function would be to more safely and cost-effectively transport oil that is most definitely coming out of the ground, that point is pretty much moot.