Congressman James Lankford commended TransCanada’s announcement today that the Keystone XL pipeline will move forward connecting Cushing and the Texas Gulf Coast. The construction of this project will allow the rich supply of domestic crude oil to be moved from Cushing to Port Arthur, Texas, as part of a larger plan to connect Canada and the Texas Gulf Coast pending federal permit approval.
“I am pleased that construction on the southern portion of the Keystone pipeline will begin this year,” said Lankford. “This project will instantly create at least 1,000 jobs and is projected to bring more than a billion dollars for the state of Oklahoma. For instance, contracts are already in place for transport of the pipe and other materials needed for construction, yielding substantial revenue for Oklahoma.
“On November 22, 2011, and again on February 9, 2012, I sent letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urging her to immediately ‘issue a provisional permit for the Keystone XL, so construction can begin on the southern segment while TransCanada reconfigures the route through Nebraska.’ Though the State Department still refuses to provisionally permit the entire pipeline, I am grateful that TransCanada has chosen to invest in the southern leg of the project while the northern route is debated.
“The nation still awaits approval of the federal permits to connect the entire pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, a project that is currently being tied up by the Obama Administration’s refusal to approve the plan after more than 42 months since the request was submitted.”
