House Committee Approves Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline

Today, the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed legislation on a bipartisan basis to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The legislation, The Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3) was passed by a vote 33-24 with Democrats Cheri Bustos (Ill.) and Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.) joining all committee Republicans in voting yes.  Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) voted present. AGC sent a letter in support of the legislation, which will allow construction of the Keystone XL pipeline after approximately four years of bureaucratic delays. It is estimated that the construction of the pipeline will put 9,000 construction workers back to work, while generating a $20 billion impact on our economy. The application to build Keystone XL was first filed in September 2008, and the State Department completed the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in August 2011 with a finding that the pipeline would have limited adverse environmental impacts.  However, the president has delayed approval of the project and required the project sponsor to apply for a new route through Nebraska.  The Governor of Nebraska approved the reroute earlier this year. The House is expected to take up the bill for consideration in the next few weeks.  AGC will continue to push for approval and construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. For more information, please contact Sean O’Neill at (202) 547-8892 or oneills@agc.org.