Hoeven: Canadian PM in China to Sell Oil; US Congress Needs to Act Because Administration Won't

On Feb. 7, 2012, Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) said Congress must act on the Keystone XL pipeline or risk losing Canadian oil to China. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and a delegation of Canadian energy leaders are meeting this week with Chinese leaders to bolster the energy and trade relationship between the two nations. This trip comes on the heels of the Obama Administration's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project which the Administration reviewed for more than three years. In light of these events, Hoeven called on Congress to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport 830,000 barrels of Canadian and Bakken crude to U.S. refineries, before the U.S misses an opportunity to access energy from its Canadian ally: "I hope the American people fully understand exactly what's going on here, because it's time to act. Right now, Prime Minister Harper is talking to President Hu Jintao, the President of China, and believe me, China wants the oil. President Harper and Canada, our closest ally in the world, has waited three years—three years—to get a 'no' answer from the Administration. We'll see what kind of agreement he comes back with from China. But the reality is, it's time to act."