Last Thursday, North Dakota officially became the third largest oil producing state in the nation, trailing only Texas and Alaska, while Republicans on Capital Hill continued to try to advance the Keystone XL Pipeline.
President Obama’s decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline project fueled a GOP measure that the Senate narrowly rejected last Thursday. The amendment would have bypassed the Obama administration’s current objections to the Keystone XL pipeline and allowed construction on the controversial project to move forward immediately.
The President said he turned down the initial proposal because the 60-day deadline set by Republicans didn’t allow time for a full review.
The Senate amendment was introduced by John Hoeven (R-ND) and would have sped up approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Hoeven says the Canada to Gulf of Mexico pipe would take 100,000 barrels of North Dakota crude to markets every day and lessen the truck traffic on state highways.
Montana’s congressional delegation has been supportive of the pipeline project as it would create a great amount of jobs in Montana. They all have said they would keep pushing for the approval of the pipeline.
The Hoeven amendment failed by four votes. Eleven Democrats voted for the amendment. Fifty-six senators voted in favor of the amendment; four short of the 60 required for approval.
The proposed 1,700-mile long pipeline expansion is intended to carry crude oil from Canada’s oil sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Supporters, including the oil industry, say it’s a vital job creator that will lessen the country’s dependence on oil imported from volatile regions.
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