Ayotte Backs Bipartisan Legislation to Approve Keystone XL Pipeline

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) announced today she is cosponsoring legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project, which President Obama recently blocked, using congressional authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. The bill, introduced today by Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND), Richard Lugar (R-IN), and David Vitter (R-LA), has 44 bipartisan cosponsors.

"Keystone is a shovel ready project that will create thousands of jobs while helping reduce America's energy dependence on foreign regimes. Having been under environmental review for more than three years, there is no reason for this project to be delayed further. If the President won't act to move forward with this worthy project, Congress will," said Senator Ayotte.

The legislation authorizes TransCanada to construct and operate the pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf Coast, transporting an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to U.S. refineries. It also allows the company to move forward with construction of the pipeline while the state of Nebraska works to determine an alternative route. The bill protects state and local laws relating to the protection of private property rights by ensuring those laws are not changed in this process.

The Keystone XL pipeline has been subject to rigorous environmental analysis for more than three years, and was on schedule to be decided on by the U.S. State Department by the end of 2011. President Obama rejected it last week claiming that he didn't have enough time to review the project. However, the Obama Administration spent 1,217 days reviewing the pipeline and there was no time limit on the State Department's ability to review the Nebraska portion of the project.

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