Watson Coleman Statement on Denial of Keystone XL Pipeline Permit
For Immediate Release
Ewing, New Jersey (November 6, 2015) ― Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) issued the following statement after the Administration announced it would deny the permit for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline:
“President Obama’s decision to support clean energy by denying the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline is exactly the kind of leadership our nation needs. There is no guarantee that the oil pumped through this pipeline would have stayed here in the U.S., nor do we have assurances that the Keystone project would have paid into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. Construction of this pipeline was riddled with pitfalls from the start, with potential benefits few and far between.
“Our nation must lead the world on clean, renewable energy, and that means shifting our focus away from projects that endanger our environment and public lands like Keystone or PennEast. We need 21st century power that ensures a vibrant economy and a sustainable environment for future generations.”
In one of her first major votes in the House, Watson Coleman voted against approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline alongside 153 other Democrats. That measure, which authorized construction of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from northwest Canada to Gulf Coast refineries and exempted the pipeline from all federal permitting requirements, creating a special exemption for one project from requirements that apply to all other construction projects, passed the House 266-153.
According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, tar sands crude produces up to 40% more carbon pollution than conventional oil, and can only be extracted through dirty, destructive methods that severely harm the air, water, and environment.