Hoeven-Manchin Legislation to Approve Keystone XL Pipeline Overcomes Key Hurdle
Measure Moves to Senate Floor for Debate, Open Amendment Process
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hoeven today announced that bipartisan legislation he and Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) introduced to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project has overcome a key hurdle and advanced in the Senate. The measure received 63 to 32 votes to overcome a filibuster, and will now go to the Senate floor for debate and an open amendment process.
“Our Keystone XL pipeline bill has gained the support of the American people and bipartisan support in Congress based on its merits,” Hoeven said. “This evening’s vote means it will now advance to the floor for open debate and every member will have an opportunity to offer amendments they believe will strengthen the bill.”
The Hoeven-Manchin legislation approves the project under Congress’s authority enumerated in the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8. Upon passage, a presidential permit would no longer be needed to approve the project. Both Hoeven and Manchin serve on the Senate Energy Committee, which is chaired by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
The bill authorizes TransCanada to construct and operate the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the U.S. Gulf Coast, transporting an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to U.S. refineries, which includes 100,000 barrels a day from the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana.
The Hoeven-Manchin bill, S.1, is the first piece of legislation brought to the floor in the 114th Congress. The legislation formally recognizes the most recent State Department Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) released in January of 2014, which concludes that construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would have no significant impact on the environment.
The $8 billion, private-sector energy infrastructure project has been under review for more than six years, with multiple environmental reviews completed to date.
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