WASHINGTON, February 9, 2012 - In response to the State Department Inspector General’s conclusion that there was no wrongdoing concerning the department’s review of Keystone XL pipeline, API asked what more evidence is needed to get this job creating project off the ground now?
“The IG report gives the Keystone XL environmental review process a clean bill of health and concludes that the review was correct and done well," said API President and CEO Jack Gerard. "It's clear that another excuse not to build the pipeline has been removed, so we can only ask ourselves what's the excuse now for not approving Keystone?
“It’s also ironic that on the same day the IG report is released, Canadian Prime Minister Harper is in China securing his country’s economic and energy future by sending more Canadian oil to Asia,” said Gerard. “We’re calling on our president to lead. In 2009, President Obama showed leadership when approving the Alberta Clipper pipeline. Back then his administration said that approval of the Clipper pipeline sent a positive economic signal, in a difficult economic period. The same applies to Keystone XL, and we are asking the president to reconsider his decision to reject this shovel-ready project that will put 20,000 American back to work.”
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.