Energy and Environment Committee
Related Studies & Resources
Extending the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada’s Athabasca Oil Sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast will create new American jobs and increase America's energy security. The project was proposed by TransCanada in 2005 and has since overcome several regulatory hurdles – but one final obstacle remains.
Keystone XL
Extending the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada’s Athabasca Oil Sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast will create new American jobs and increase America's energy security. The project was proposed by TransCanada in 2005 and has since overcome several regulatory hurdles. However, on January 18 the State Department, which has the authority to approve the permit for U.S. construction to begin, walked away from the Keystone XL pipeline project, a move that amounts to the deferral of thousands of jobs and improved U.S. energy security.
After an exhaustive three-year review, numerous public meetings and multiple comment periods, the Department of State’s final Federal Environmental Impact Statement found that there are no substantial environmental concerns that should prohibit approval of the permit to allow this project to move forward. The decision to approve this project, which would have had a significant positive impact on jobs, economic growth and energy security, should have been an easy one for the Administration to make. We remain confident it will get approved in the future and will continue to advocate for its construction as these types of projects remain necessary if our nation is going to grow, prosper and compete.
- The U.S. State Department estimates that, over a two-year period, the Keystone XL project would directly employ 5,000 – 6,000 workers.
- According to the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), Keystone XL would add $150 billion to U.S. GDP between now and 2035.
- North American oil from Keystone XL could potentially replace more than one-third of the oil currently imported from the Middle East.
For more information, view our one-pager on the Keystone XL project.