WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Jim Risch (R-ID) and 10 Senate Republicans today introduced the Defending Keystone Jobs Act, which would require the Department of Labor to submit a report to Congress on the number of jobs lost as a direct or indirect result of the Biden administration’s move to cancel construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Cancelation of Keystone construction stands in contrast with the Biden administration’s decision to waive sanctions on the company constructing Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
“President Biden’s decision to kill the Keystone XL Pipeline put politics over Americans’ livelihoods,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We need to take a serious look at how many Americans are now out of work because of the president’s harmful decision, and this bill does that.”
“The Keystone XL Pipeline would have strengthened U.S. energy independence while supporting thousands of high-paying jobs in the U.S. and Canada. It’s hard to square why the administration canceled its construction, yet waived sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” said Senator Risch. “Reinstating the Keystone project to invest in U.S. energy security and job creation is just common sense.”
Cassidy and Risch introduced the Defending Keystone Jobs Act with U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Roger Marshall (R-KS), John Hoeven (R-ND), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Tom Cotton (R-AR).
Background:
President Biden issued an executive order revoking the permit for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office. The Keystone pipeline project was expected to provide some 11,000 direct high-paying jobs and up to 60,000 indirect and direct jobs and strengthen North American energy independence. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has waived sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline. In response, Cassidy introduced the Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act to authorize continued construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline and the POWERS Act to reverse President Biden’s Nord Stream 2 actions and expand sanctions on Russia.
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