Mr. President, Theres Bipartisan Support for Keystone XL
December 19, 2011
The Heritage Network - The Foundry
Nicolas Loris
The Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring 700,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada to refineries in Texas and give a major boost to the U.S. economy, is the hot-button issue when it comes to the payroll tax cut package. The legislation says that the President should issue a permit for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline 60 days after enactment of the legislation unless the President finds that the project is not in the national interest. Representatives Henry Waxman (D–CA) and Ed Markey (D–MA) told Politico that they do not expect President Obama to approve the construction, even if Keystone XL language reaches his desk.
Waxman said, “I think it’s shortsighted for the Republicans to force a decision without giving the President enough time to fully consider it. And if they force him to do that, it’d seem to me, the only logical thing for him to do is to say no to it.” Markey added, “We expect the President to still reject the commencement of the construction of the pipeline until there is a full completion of an environmental review.”
The reality is that the State Department has already conducted a thorough, three-year environmental review and concluded that the pipeline poses minimal environmental risk to soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish, and wildlife, and creates few greenhouse-gas emissions. Keystone XL also met 57 specific pipeline safety standard requirements created by the State Department and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The State Department, Nebraska officials, and pipeline firm TransCanada even agreed to reroute the pipeline path in Nebraska to avoid a water aquifer. This can be accomplished without the federal government’s involvement.
<- Go BackSign Up for Email
Give Us Your Thoughts
