"YES" on Keystone XL Pipeline Act (S. 1)
"YES" on Keystone XL Pipeline Act (S. 1)
This week, the Senate began consideration of the Keystone XL Pipeline Act (S. 1), which mirrors the bill (H.R. 3) approved by the House on January 9th. The project would increase America's energy security, create thousands of jobs, and increase revenue in the states it runs through.
The 1,200 mile pipeline, which enjoys broad bipartisan support, would transport 380,000 barrels of oil daily from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast and would create an estimated 15,000 jobs. The State Department conducted numerous reviews of the environmental impacts of the project on soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish, wildlife, and endangered species and repeatedly confirmed it would be safe.
For too long, the politics of the left, radical environmentalists, and President Obama and his congressional allies have stood in the way of Keystone's construction. Approval of H.R. 3 would represent a small but notable first step towards creating thousands of jobs for hardworking Americans. The Heritage Foundation's Nicolas Loris outlined additional five easy steps for Congress to take:
- Ensure funding for the licensing of the Yucca Mountain repository;
- Extend master limited partnerships (MLP) to renewable energy production;
- Remove limitations on energy exports;
- Repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS); and
- Reform Department of Energy laboratories.
In addition to tackling the low-hanging fruit, the new Republican-controlled Congress should undertake an effort to eliminate the federal government's intrusions into America's energy sector by rolling back onerous regulations, eliminating taxpayer-funded subsidies, and reversing inefficient mandates. As Loris noted last year, legislation like Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) Energy Exploration and Production to Achieve National Demand (EXPAND) Act "would remove or prevent many of the federal government's interference and allow the energy sector to operate more freely."
Heritage Action supports S. 1 as drafted and will include it as a key vote on our legislative scorecard pending the outcome of the amendment process.
Related:
Heritage Action's Legislative Scorecard
Daily Signal: White House Threatens to Veto Jobs, Energy and Common Sense
"YES" on Keystone XL Pipeline Act (S. 1)