Today the House approved a bill to move forward with construction of the Keystone XL pipeline project, to create thousands of American jobs and increase the Nation’s energy security.
H.R. 5682, introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), would provide immediate approval of the project, long delayed by the administration. The bill passed the House by a vote of 252 to 161.
“The President continues to use every excuse to delay this project, but it’s time to move forward, show some leadership, and approve this project that will provide numerous benefits to Americans and our Nation,” said Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA). “Pipelines are the safe, cost-effective energy lifelines that fuel our economy. Pipelines supply more than two-thirds of the energy used in the United States, and Keystone XL will be a critical addition to this network, increasing our energy supply and helping to reduce the cost of oil. Without costing the taxpayers a dime, this project will create thousands of jobs and improve our economy and economic security. I commend Congressman Cassidy for continuing to press the administration to allow progress on this important project.”
“It’s past time to build,” said Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Chairman Jeff Denham (R-CA). “State Department estimates show that construction on the pipeline would create more than 40,000 jobs. As part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy, the pipeline will help us move towards North American energy independence and boost our economic growth. TransCanada has agreed to measures that will make this the safest pipeline in history. Building it is simple common sense.”
H.R. 5682 closely follows legislation passed in the House last year (H.R. 3). Since the passage of H.R. 3, the State Department completed its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in January 31, 2014, in addition to its earlier Environmental Impact Statement of August 2011, which found that the pipeline would have limited adverse environmental impacts. Construction was also found to be the preferred option among those studied, including the option to not undertake the project.
According to State Department estimates, the Keystone project will create 42,100 jobs and $2 billion in earnings. Furthermore, as the State Department has stated in the past, “non-OPEC Canadian crude oil supplies advance the energy security of the United States, given Canada’s close proximity, our free trade agreements, and our close bilateral relationship with this stable democracy.”
The Keystone XL pipeline is the most extensively studied and vetted pipeline project in the history of this country. The project will include 95 special mitigation measures, including 59 recommended by the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA), and in fact will be built to safety standards above and beyond those required by the agency.
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