BALTIMORE – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the Obama Administration's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline application.
“The Obama Administration has rightly rejected the Keystone XL pipeline after having completed a responsible and thorough review of the project. In my judgment, the risks to U.S. public safety, public health, drinking water supplies, and private property values from this proposed pipeline are too high. A project that produces profits for a Canadian oil company seeking to export some of the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive oil through America’s heartland is wrong. It’s clear that as oil prices continue to range at $50 per barrel that an ‘all of the above’ energy strategy doesn’t need to include the dirtiest, riskiest and most expensive energy sources, like tar sands oil, to succeed. This is an issue that I have expressed concerns with for some time, including calling on the SEC to carry out an investigation into the public disclosures of oil companies pursuits into less conventional sources. For too long, Republicans in Congress sought to undermine the regulatory process by passing ill-conceived legislation in a misguided attempt to force the President’s hand on this issue. Ultimately, after exhaustive examination, President Obama and Secretary Kerry have chosen the correct path in determining that this project does not adequately serve or benefit U.S. interests and I wholeheartedly support the decision to deny approval of the unbuilt portions of the Keystone XL pipeline.”
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