South Dakotans 'pissed off' and 'angry' over Keystone XL cancellation

It felt like a gut punch.

That's how South Dakota small business owner Laurie Cox described how she felt when news broke that Canadian developer TC Energy officially pulled the plug on the Keystone XL pipeline. The monumental decision to walk away from the $8 billion project was confirmed Wednesday and came at a devastating cost to communities that pinned their hopes and investments on the success of the massive cross-border venture.

The decision to call it quits left people like Cox, who owns a two-story hotel that housed pipeline workers in Midland, South Dakota, feeling abandoned and angry.

"I am disappointed that TC Energy is giving up the fight," she told the Washington Examiner. "I know they and their subcontractors have lost a lot on this, but I feel like they have given up too soon."