WASHINGTON, February 7, 2012 ─ The American Petroleum Institute applauded the efforts of House lawmakers looking to improve America’s energy and economic future by building the Keystone XL pipeline. The North American Energy Access Act would help put 20,000 Americans to work, while enhancing our energy and national security.
“Congress is now doing what the president declined to do: provide jobs for thousands of Americans on our country’s largest shovel ready project,” said API Executive Vice President Marty Durbin. “Unemployment among construction workers continues to rise, now at 17 percent. While the president says he wants to help American workers, he has taken a pass on a sure-fire way to provide good paying jobs to the safest, most highly trained and productive workforce in the world.”
The Keystone XL pipeline would deliver more Canadian oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries and has the support of organized labor, business, state and local elected officials and veterans’ groups from across the country. And numerous opinion polls show strong public support, regardless of age, demographics or political party affiliation.
“We commend both Democrats and Republicans in Congress who have united behind Keystone,” said Durbin. “Approving the pipeline is a no brainer. Getting more stable oil from Canada, while creating new American jobs, is a winning energy and economic strategy. After more than three years of exhaustive reviews, it’s time to get this project built.”
API gave special thanks to Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and other policymakers for not giving up on this critical project and allowing Nebraska to complete its review of a new pipeline route.
API represents more than 490 oil and natural gas companies, leaders of a technology-driven industry that supplies most of America's energy, supports 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers more than $86 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested more than $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.