05.20.22

Hoeven Outlines Need for Greater U.S.-Canada Energy Partnership Through Projects Like Keystone XL Pipeline

Senator Discusses Importance of North American Energy Security

WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven discussed the importance of advancing energy partnerships between the U.S. and Canada. In particular, the senator stressed the role that the Keystone XL Pipeline should play in supporting North American energy security, while helping to reduce energy costs and inflation for U.S. consumers. Hoeven further discussed opportunities to build on existing partnerships to help make both the U.S. and Canada energy secure.

“In 2015, Congress passed my bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline on a bipartisan basis. If the Obama-Biden administration hadn’t vetoed our bill, this pipeline would be bringing over 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada, which likely would’ve been expanded to more than a million barrels per day,” said Hoeven. “That oil would be a tremendous help in reducing America’s reliance on our adversaries, like Venezuela and Iran. That’s why we should be working to build our energy partnerships with our closest friend and ally Canada, while also empowering the U.S. to utilize our abundant energy resources, including our vast coal, oil and gas reserves, to make North America energy secure.” 

Advancing the Keystone XL Pipeline

In the 114th Congress, Hoeven introduced S.1, legislation to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline on constitutional grounds. The bill passed with bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House, but was then vetoed by President Obama, who had delayed the project for more than seven years. In March 2017, the Trump administration approved the permit to build the pipeline, but construction on the project was halted by a federal court in Montana.  

On the first day of his administration, President Biden cancelled the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Accordingly, Hoeven has since helped introduce legislation to authorize the continued construction of the pipeline and is working to advance his the American Energy Independence from Russia Act, which would take immediate action to increase U.S. energy production and reduce reliance on Russian energy by: 

  • Authorizing the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline.
  • Removing regulatory hurdles to increase liquefied natural gas exports.
  • Prohibiting any presidential moratoria on new energy leases.
  • Requiring the U.S. Department of the Interior to hold a minimum of four oil and natural gas lease sales in each state with land available for leasing in fiscal year 2022.
  • Prohibiting the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy from drawdowns of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) until the Secretary of the Interior issues a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands and waters. 

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