Today, Rep. Jason Smith and the House of Representatives voted to pass the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act with bipartisan support. The bill, which has cleared both the House and Senate, will now be sent to the president for his signature. The infrastructure project is estimated to add more than 40,000 jobs to the workforce and lower energy costs for all Americans.
Despite six years of environmental studies showing no negative impact to move oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico through the pipeline, President Obama has threatened to veto the project claiming it requires additional analysis.
“After years of bipartisan work and support since its initial proposal in 2008, we are finally able to send the bill to construct the Keystone XL Pipeline to the president after passing it today. The fact that with its passage we have the opportunity to provide Americans with 40,000 shovel-ready jobs and lower energy costs is very exciting,” said Congressman Jason Smith. “This excellent opportunity to help put Americans back to work and reduce their burden of high energy costs is why I urge President Obama to sign the bill into law and begin digging.”
The U.S. State Department has thoroughly investigated this project with five reviews totaling more than 22,000 pages and had no major environmental objections. According to the impact study, the pipeline would not increase carbon emissions. Additionally, the project would voluntarily incorporate more than 50 new safety standards recommended by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Congressman Smith and a bipartisan group of more than 300 lawmakers continue to urge President Obama to sign the Keystone XL authorization and bring this infrastructure project that will provide thousands of jobs to fruition.
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