WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today condemned the partisanship and political games, including President Barack Obama’s recent veto threat, that have delayed the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline for more than six years.
Criticizing the years of gridlock that have held back the project and the hundreds of good-paying Montana jobs it would create, Daines called for immediate approval of the pipeline’s construction.
“This pipeline checks every box of commonsense – it’s environmentally sound, it creates jobs, it’s economic opportunity and it’s going to help us toward North American energy independence. So why are we still waiting?” Daines said. “The time for partisanship, the time for political games is over. It’s time that this Congress and this government get to work for the American people and start getting results for this country and that starts with approving the Keystone XL pipeline.”
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According to the State Department, the pipeline will support 42,000 jobs during its construction.
Daines has long been a leading proponent of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would enter the United States through Montana, and spearheaded efforts in the House to approve its construction.
In the House, Daines cosponsored the Northern Route Approval Act, bipartisan legislation that also would permit construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
He spoke with Fox News about the Keystone XL pipeline earlier in the day.
KEY FACTS ON KEYSTONE XL:
– The Keystone XL pipeline will support 42,000 jobs during its construction.
– It will enter the U.S. through Montana and pass through six Montana counties, generating millions of dollars in tax revenue.
– Americans support construction of the Keystone XL pipeline by a 3 to 1 margin.
– Up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day will be transported by the pipeline, including 100,000 from Montana and North Dakota’s Bakken formation.
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