Archived Content

BRT CEOs Say ‘No More Delays.’ The Time to Act on Keystone is Now

May 9, 2012

With our nation’s unemployment rate remaining stubbornly above 8 percent and as House and Senate conferees undertake transportation bill talks, we’ve been busy this week pushing lawmakers to support the TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. 

In a May 7 letter to Congress, Business Roundtable President John Engler reports that approval of this much-needed jobs project “would create 85,000 new U.S. jobs and generate more than $70 billion in total wages and contribute an additional $150 billion to U.S. GDP between now and 2035.” (Stats courtesy of the Canadian Energy Research Institute.)

To those concerned about the impact Keystone will have on the environment, Engler writes:

“The project is an environmentally responsible infrastructure project that has passed an exhaustive, three-year federal environmental review."

Engler added:

“There is no good reason to further delay this important energy project. Delay only continues to deny jobs to American workers.”

We’ve also been running ads in Beltway publications urging all lawmakers to approve this project immediately.

It’s not just business who wants this project to move forward.

According to The Hill newspaper, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka supports the project and even downplayed disagreements among the unions:

“They are not divided on the pipeline itself,” Trumka said in a C-SPAN interview when asked about differences in labor over Keystone. “They are divided on how the pipeline is done.”

Business. Labor. Oh, and according to a Gallup poll, 57% of Americans support the project. Why? Because Keystone will create jobs, bolster U.S. economic growth and increase energy security for America.

Congress, approve this project to put our country back to work.

We use cookies to give you the best experience when using our website. You can click “Accept” if you agree to allow us to place cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Notice.