I was disappointed—but not surprised—to learn that President Obama has vetoed legislation that would have begun long-overdue construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. By any measure, the Keystone Pipeline is good—good for the economy and good for the equipment manufacturing industry. It’s also the safer option for the environment, compared to alternatives.
At this point, Keystone has been relentlessly studied and scrutinized by the government and outside groups. And the evidence is in: Keystone would not pose a meaningful threat to the environment, and it would promise to create thousands of jobs in construction and manufacturing. The alternative to constructing this vital piece of U.S. energy infrastructure is the continued transportation of crude oil by rail. As we’ve seen recently in West Virginia, this is a volatile and potentially hazardous solution that further diminishes our national rail capacity.
I urge Congress to redouble its efforts to pursue construction of the Keystone Pipeline and for President Obama to end his obstruction of this commonsense project.
NOTE: AEM’s membership includes a number of manufacturers of machinery used in the construction of pipelines and infrastructure project, as well as manufacturers of equipment used in the extraction of crude oil.
