"YES" on Keystone XL Pipeline Approval
"YES" on Keystone XL Pipeline Approval
This week, the House voted on the Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3), which would approve the construction, operation and maintenance of the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline.
As the Heritage Foundation has explained:
Given the need for jobs and more oil on the global market to offset high prices, the permit application had been moving along positively with bipartisan support without much attention until environmental activists made blocking the Keystone XL pipeline their issue to rally around for 2011. Although President Obama and the Department of State (DOS) said they'd make a decision at the end of 2011, they ultimately catered to a narrow set of special interests, punting the decision until after the 2012 elections.
More than six months after the election, Americans desperate for jobs are still awaiting a decision from the Obama administration. The administration's excuses are running out, as the official review has been comprehensive:
DOS studied and addressed risk to soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish, wildlife, and endangered species. They concluded that the construction of the pipeline would pose minimal environmental risk. Keystone XL also met 57 specific pipeline safety standard requirements created by DOS and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
Heritage Action supported H.R. 3 and will include it as a key vote on our legislative scorecard.
Related:
Heritage Action's Legislative Scorecard
"YES" on Keystone XL Pipeline Approval