Keystone Stakeholders Reax: America on Path to Reaching Energy Potential

Stakeholders are weighing in on the Nebraska Public Service Commission’s announcement on Monday that it will permit the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline in the state.

In March, President Donald Trump gave the green light on the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Barack Obama put on hold, again, in 2012 to please climate change activists.

But the final hurdle was Nebraska officials approving its route through the state.

TransCanada’s project is a 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline system that will carry up to 830,000 barrels of petroleum per day from the oil sands in Canada to oil refineries and ports on the Gulf Coast of the United States.

“The Keystone XL pipeline project has, unfortunately, become the poster child for the need to reform our permitting process so that we may fully realize North America’s energy potential,” Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, said.

“We’re pleased that the project has cleared this final hurdle, and appreciate the Nebraska PSC’s thorough review and endorsement,” Harbert said. “After years of government delays, the decision as to whether to move forward with the pipeline now rests with the company that will be making the investment.”

“We’re pleased that finally Keystone XL can move forward,” Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance told Breitbart News.

“Unfortunately, pipeline projects have been politicized, with President Obama listening to keep-it-in-the-ground environmental activists rather than considering the needs of consumers and those who can benefit from high-paying construction jobs,” Sgamma said.

“Pipelines are the safest way to transport oil,” Sgamma said. “There’s no justifiable reason to hold them up at the behest of obstructionists trying to stop the energy that actually powers America.”

“We hope future pipeline approvals are not drawn out for years, and appreciate the new direction under President Trump,” Sgamma said.

The American Petroleum Institute (API), a national trade association representing the oil and natural gas industry, touted the development as a win for American consumers.

“The Nebraska Public Service Commission set an example for how to carefully evaluate critical energy infrastructure projects, even in the face of strongly held views and opinions,” API President and CEO Jack Gerard said in a statement.“It’s been a long path to today’s approval and the Commission should be commended.”

“Their action allows the Keystone XL pipeline to be built by highly-trained, skilled tradesmen using state-of-the-art technologies aimed at protecting the environment and promoting the safety of our communities,” Gerard said. “Pipelines such as this enhance our ability to safely deliver North American energy to our world-class refineries, which in turn provide the fuels and products we all rely on every day.”

“Nebraska recognizes the Keystone XL pipeline is in the public interest, bringing good paying jobs and more affordable energy for U.S. consumers,” Andy Black, president and CEO of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, told Breitbart News.

Black noted that the construction of the pipeline would provide nationally more than 42,000 U.S. jobs and $2.1 billion in U.S. worker payroll, according to an economic analysis by the U.S. State Department.

Further, the pipeline would support 6,800 construction jobs with $420 million in payroll; 4,600 manufacturing jobs with $309 million in payroll; 4,400 jobs in trade with $172 million in payroll; 2,200 jobs in finance and insurance with $131 million in payroll; 5,100 jobs in other professional services with $343 million in payroll; 2,700 jobs in health services with $141 million in payroll; and 5,700 jobs in food and accommodations with $278 million in payroll.

Reuters reported on Monday, “TransCanada Chief Executive Officer Russ Girling said in a statement that the company will review the commission’s decision and assess its impact to the cost and schedule of the project. The company’s stock was up 1.4 percent at C$63.44 in Toronto on Monday afternoon.”