08/01/12 Monday, in response to the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision last Friday to grant the final permits for a 400-mile portion of the Keystone XL pipeline that will run from Oklahoma to the Gulf Coast, Congressman Joe Donnelly released the following statement:
“The construction of the entire Keystone XL pipeline is an opportunity to create thousands of jobs in America,” said Donnelly. “It will also help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We currently send billions of dollars overseas to Middle East dictators each year for energy resources. Building the Keystone XL pipeline will help keep those dollars here at home. I call on the Obama administration to approve final permits for all portions of the pipeline, not just the Southern section. Our nation’s economy needs this boost.”
The Obama administration is continuing to review a Canadian firm’s application for a permit to build and operate a portion of Keystone XL pipeline across the U.S.-Canada border. Previously, the administration has rejected the firm’s permit application.
Donnelly has been a strong advocate in support of the Keystone XL pipeline. In July of 2011, Donnelly voted for The North American-Made Energy Security Act, which if enacted into law, would have required the President to make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline no later than November 1, 2011. In December of 2011, he voted for a bill to direct the President to grant a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline within 60 days. That bill later became law, but the president rejected the permit. In February of 2012, Donnelly voted in favor of The Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act (PIONEERS), which if enacted into law, would have required the Federal Regulatory Commission to issue a permit within 30 days of receipt of application for the pipeline. He has also previously called on President Obama to support the entire Keystone XL pipeline.
