Thousands in Oklahoma Call For Approval of Keystone XL
OKLAHOMA CITY – Today the Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association of Oklahoma and the State Chamber of Oklahoma announced, in conjunction with Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), that they have submitted 5,158 public comments from Oklahoma residents supporting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The comments were submitted to the U.S. Department of State, which must issue the final necessary permit to allow the Keystone XL project to proceed.
In response, Michael Bernard, President of Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association of Oklahoma, expressed strong support for the Keystone project: “The Keystone XL Pipeline will be an important step towards North American energy independence and of huge benefit to U.S. energy security if permitted by the Department of State. It will also create thousands of jobs here in Oklahoma. The entire nation will benefit from the infusion of oil from Oklahoma, the Dakotas and Canada into our supply mix and the $20 billion that this project will add to American economy.”
Fred Morgan, president and CEO of The State Chamber of Oklahoma agreed, adding “The State Chamber of Oklahoma believes that Keystone XL is in our country’s best interest because it will improve our national security, provide a long-term, stable energy supply to the United States, create jobs and spur economic growth. Further, the economic benefits to our State – including millions in revenue for state and local governments and thousands of new jobs – comes at a critical time in our economic recovery.”
Added CEA Executive Vice President Michael Whatley:
“The Keystone XL pipeline will be the safest pipeline ever built in the United States, and construction will help create more than 20,000 jobs nationwide. The pipeline will also generate more than $20 billion in new economic growth for the struggling U.S. economy. The 700,000 barrels of oil per day that will flow through Keystone XL will help reduce fuel prices for families coast to coast, and dramatically improve our energy security by reducing our reliance on Middle Eastern oil. These comments that we are submitting today from thousands of Oklahoma citizens reflect what people across the country are saying: We need jobs, we need a stronger economy, and we need to build the Keystone XL pipeline.”
The 1,700-mile proposed Keystone XL pipeline would deliver 700,000 barrels of U.S. and Canadian crude oil per day to refineries along the Gulf Coast in Texas. Keystone XL received approval from Canada’s National Energy Board in 2010, but the project also requires a Presidential Permit from the U.S. Department of State because it crosses an international border. In June, CEA delivered more than 62,000 public comments supporting the project to the State Department, all of which came from people living in the six states through which the proposed pipeline will travel: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
