House Subcommittee Passes Bill to Rush Decision on Dangerous Tar Sands Pipeline

Today the Energy and Power Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Panel approved a bill to expedite a decision on the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The bill, from Congressman Lee Terry of Nebraska and Gene Green of Texas, would interfere with the ongoing review of the impacts of the massive project and force a decision by November 1 of this year.

This massive dirty energy project continues to be the subject of heightened critique with Congressman Ed Markey joining the ranks of those concerned in a letter to the State Department last week. Recently, a team of University of Nebraska hydrologists publicized their letter highlighting the risks of the project to drinking and irrigation water supplies in the Midwest. The letter gives particular attention to the twelve spills that occurred in less than a year on TransCanada's partner pipeline, the Keystone I, which was recently ordered shut down due to safety concerns.

"TransCanada just built a Keystone pipeline that keeps leaking. Now, Republicans want to hurry through another, even larger pipeline," said Kenny Bruno, Coordinator of Corporate Ethics International. "As Einstein might have said, insanity is building the same pipeline again and again and expecting different results. There is no shortage of oil and no hurry to build this dirty, dangerous and unnecessary pipeline."

Coalition members have also issued the following statements:

"This is an unneeded pipeline being pushed by Big Oil that will threaten farms in the Midwest, raise gas prices, and allow Canada to export their dirty oil through our ports. This bill is just the latest example of Republicans doing the bidding of Big Oil at the expense of American's health and livelihoods."
- Lena Moffitt, Washington Representative for the Sierra Club

"Why are these Republicans trying to rush a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline? Are they afraid we will learn just how dangerous and dirty this pipeline really is? We need to put safety and the environment ahead of TransCanada Pipeline's profits."
- Alex Moore, Dirty Fuels Campaigner for Friends of the Earth

"This pipeline is yet another example of Big Oil and its allies in Congress recklessly pushing the failed energy policies of the past rather than pursuing clean energy solutions that will create jobs, improve our national security, and protect the planet from global warming pollution."
- Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, League of Conservation Voters

"The Keystone XL tar sands pipeline will keep the U.S. addicted to the dirtiest oil on the planet for decades to come and destroy Canada's Boreal forest, home to 40% of our backyard song birds. There are better, cleaner ways to power our cars and trucks."
- Liz Barratt-Brown, Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council