Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Thursday hailed the US Senate’s passage, by a vote of 62-36, of legislation to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Gibson said the pipeline’s construction has been “delayed for years by unnecessary bureaucratic wrangling” and that “Congress, industry and the American people have shown repeated support for building the pipeline.”
“Steel pipe and tube products form the essential infrastructure for producing oil and gas natural resources, transmitting them to processers and then getting them to final customers. The steel industry supports construction of the Keystone XL pipeline because it can create more than 42,000 jobs, plays a critical role in building out domestic infrastructure to connect energy supply centers to where the demand is, and provides market opportunities for the products our companies make,” Gibson said.
He concluded, “We commend the Senate for passing this bipartisan legislation and urge President Obama to reconsider his veto threat. Pipelines have been long recognized as one of the safest and best-regulated ways to move crude oil and petroleum products and a critical part of a strong US energy infrastructure. For energy-intensive industries, like steel, reliable and plentiful energy sources are essential to remaining highly productive and internationally competitive. If the President is serious about fostering energy independence and job creation, approving the Keystone XL pipeline is low hanging fruit.”