WASHINGTON – Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) issued the following statements in response to the Biden administration’s release of a past-due report demanded by the two senators and required by law that the administration give a detailed account of the effects of its decision to cancel construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. President Biden revoked the cross-border operation permit for the project the first day he took office. The report released by the U.S. Department of Energy states the Keystone XL pipeline would have created between 16,000 and 59,000 jobs and would have had a positive economic impact of between $3.16 and $9.6 billion.
“The Department of Energy finally admitted to the worst kept secret about the Keystone Pipeline: President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline sacrificed thousands of American jobs,” said Risch. “To make matters worse, his decision moved the U.S. further away from energy independence and lower gas prices at a time when inflation and gas prices are drastically impacting Americans’ pocketbooks. The President must turn to American-made energy and jobs rather than dictators and despots to fix the energy crisis he created on his first day in office.”
“The Biden administration finally owned up to what we have known all along—killing the Keystone XL pipeline cost good-paying jobs, hurt Montana’s economy and was the first step in the Biden administration’s war on oil and gas production in the United States. Unfortunately, the administration continues to pursue energy production anywhere but the United States. These policies may appeal to the woke Left, but hurt Montana’s working families. I’ll keep fighting back against Biden’s anti-energy agenda and supporting Montana energy projects and jobs,” Daines said.
This report comes after Senators Risch and Daines fought to pass their bill requiring the Biden administration release a report on the economic and energy impacts of killing the Keystone XL pipeline and nearly a year past the due date.
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