Washington, D.C – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, to approve construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The measure passed decisively, 266 to 153, with bipartisan support. H.R. 3 would put an end to the lengthy and unnecessary delay of the Keystone project that has gone on for over six years. In voting for the measure, Congressman Steve Pearce (R.-N.M.) released the following statement
“The American people have entrusted this new Congress with creating a prosperous economy. The unnecessary stalling by President Obama over this project is costing Americans good-paying jobs every day and is a good example of the inaction that the American people are fed up with,” said Pearce.
“This bill will provide shovel ready jobs for Americans and will increase American energy independence while strengthening our national security. The President has used a Nebraska Supreme Court case as an excuse to prevent this critical jobs measure. This morning the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the route of the pipeline, effectively eroding the President’s last excuse. I urge the President to put politics aside and listen to the majority of Americans by approving this commonsense piece of legislation,” he added.
Energy development in New Mexico and throughout the western United States is critical to local economies and job growth – especially in small towns and rural areas. Keystone XL is projected to help carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada's oil sands, just over the border, to Gulf Coast refineries. According to an April 2014 Congressional Research Service Report, the project involves building a total of approximately 1,330 miles of new pipe. The first segment would run across the northern Plains to Nebraska, where it would connect with an existing pipeline. A second segment of new construction would connect an existing network in Cushing, Okla. to locations in southern Texas. According to the Western Energy Alliance, “The United States and Canada have the largest trading partnership in the world. Canada already sends more than 99% of its oil exports to the United States, safely transmitting them mainly to Midwestern refineries and other locations via pipelines.”