With the release Friday of another environmental analysis of the Keystone XL pipeline that did not alter a prior finding of no significant environmental impact from the project, Senator Bob Corker said the Obama administration is “now out of excuses” for refusing to grant completion of the pipeline, which was first proposed in 2008. The State Department has yet to approve construction of the final section of the pipeline, which, if completed, will have the capacity to transfer more than 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast of the U.S.
Senator Corker said, “The Obama administration is now out of excuses for refusing to grant completion of this project. By any reasonable standard, the Keystone XL pipeline is in the national interest and will enhance U.S. economic and energy security. Not only will the pipeline create jobs, promote economic growth and expand access to North American energy, it will also provide a safer and more environmentally friendly method of transporting oil."
Senator Lamar Alexander said, “The Environmental Impact Statement released today by the State Department confirms what I’ve been saying all along: there is simply no reason whatsoever for the president not to move forward with a pipeline that would make us less reliant on oil from hostile countries and create thousands jobs for American workers.”
Senator Alexander is a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.