11.18.14

Hoeven Statement on Keystone XL Approval Legislation

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement ahead of the Senate’s vote on S. 2280, the Hoeven-Landrieu bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. The vote is scheduled for approximately 5:30 p.m. ET today:

“This evening the Senate will vote on my bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. I’m hopeful we can pass it. We already have all 45 Republicans, plus eleven Democrats, for a total of 56 cosponsors. In addition, three Democratic senators have committed to voting for the bill, and we hope to get one or two more to reach at least 60 votes, which is needed for passage. This is the same legislation sponsored by Representative Bill Cassidy that passed the House last Friday.

“If we don’t pass it today, we’ll bring it back in the new Congress in January, when I know we will have 60 votes. This project is important for our state to take the pressure off moving oil by rail. But it’s also important to our country to work with our friend and ally Canada to get to energy security with the infrastructure we need to do it.”

“The Keystone XL pipeline is about energy, jobs, helping to grow our economy and increasing national security by increasing energy security. We do not want to depend on the Middle East for oil when we can produce it at home, along with our closest ally Canada. But to have a sound energy plan, we need the infrastructure to move that energy to market, safely and efficiently.”