WASHINGTON, DC - Republican and Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to President Obama today urging him approve the Presidential Permit for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project they call an “urgent priority" needed to put tens of thousands of Americans to work.
If constructed, the pipeline would create over 100,000 American jobs and bring up to 1.4 million barrels of safe and secure oil per day to U.S. refineries. To ensure a timely review process, this summer the House passed H.R. 1938, the North American-Made Energy Security Act, requiring the president to issue a decision by November 1. With that deadline passed, and recent reports that the Obama administration may further postpone a final decision, members are writing directly to the president encouraging him to approve the project without further delay.
The members wrote, “Mr. President, each day that you postpone the decision beyond the 90-day interagency comment period (ending November 24) is another day that thousands of Americans remain unemployed while awaiting a job to build the pipeline or refine the product it delivers. We urge you to delay no further and with the stroke of your pen approve the permit, put these Americans to work, and advance our nation’s energy security."
View the full text of the letter to President Obama here.
