Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, joined a bipartisan majority of his House colleagues last Friday in passing legislation to advance construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The legislation would end the administration’s delays blocking construction of the landmark jobs and energy project, which has been tied up in regulatory review for more than six years. The legislation would eliminate the need for presidential approval, make it clear the extensive environmental analysis already done on the project is sufficient, and eliminate the threat of future litigation challenges.
“It took less time to build the Hoover Dam than it’s taken the president to answer yes or no on the Keystone XL pipeline project.” said Upton, who also chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “Debate about the pipeline has gone on for more than six years when the Hoover Dam only took five years to build. Today we have bipartisan support on it, the Nebraska Supreme Court cleared the legal questions, and we have the strongest pipeline safety requirements in place of all time. The president has no excuses left to delay this project. It’s time to build once and for all.”
The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday approved the course of the Keystone pipeline through the state. Previously, the president said action on the pipeline should not begin until after the ruling. The House on Friday voted 266 to 153 to pass the bill, H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, just hours after the court ruling became public.
In 2011, Upton, along with recently retired Congressman John D. Dingell, D-Dearborn, co-sponsored the "Pipeline Infrastructure and Community Protection Act of 2011,” which made vital improvements in pipeline safety requirements. It came about following the 2010 rupture of an Enbridge pipeline just east of Upton’s district that spilled 20,000 barrels of oil into a tributary of the Kalamazoo River. Upton worked aggressively with local, state and federal officials to mitigate the spill’s impact on public health, property and the environment.
