09.18.15

Hoeven Statement on the Seventh Anniversary of TransCanada's Permit Application for Keystone XL

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement to mark the seventh anniversary of TransCanada’s initial permit application for the Keystone XL pipeline, which was submitted on September 19, 2008:

“After seven years of delay, it is clear that President Obama intends to deny TransCanada a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which would move 830,000 barrels of oil a day, including 100,000 from North Dakota’s Bakken region. That’s 830,000 barrels a day that won’t have to be moved by truck and rail.

“His opposition to the pipeline is unfortunate, because the Keystone XL pipeline is about more than a single pipeline; in the larger scheme of things, it’s about building the kind of energy plan and infrastructure we need to make America stronger and more secure, now and in the future. That means building the right mix of pipelines, transmission, roads and rail to not only produce energy but also transport it as safely and cost-effectively as possible.

“Further, if private sector companies that not only meet but exceed all regulatory and legal requirements are blocked for political reasons, who will ever step up to invest in major American energy infrastructure projects in the years to come?

“Instead of making it harder to produce and transport energy in the US and Canada by denying projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, the president needs to empower investment in the energy infrastructure needed to move oil and gas as safely and efficiently as possible, enabling our country to achieve North American energy independence. We must learn the lesson of history and avoid the pitfall of returning to our reliance on OPEC and the Middle East for oil.

“I and a bipartisan group of my colleagues have repeatedly made, and will continue to make, the case that the Keystone XL pipeline is not only about energy, but also about jobs, economic activity and making a stronger, safer America.”

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