Politics

Manchin Urges Biden to Reconsider Keystone Pipeline Decision

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Adam Burnett Contributor
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Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin urged President Joe Biden to reconsider his decision to kill a permit vital to the Keystone XL pipeline.  

“Ongoing development of responsible energy infrastructure supports your ‘Build Back Better’ priorities by keeping Americans working while strengthening North American economic and energy security,” Manchin, the chairman of Senate’s Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, wrote in the letter Tuesday. 

“It is of the utmost importance that the United States maintain that energy security through strategic relationships with our allies rather than increasing reliance on OPEC nations and Russia,” Manchin continued. “This includes the development of infrastructure, like the Keystone XL.”

Biden canceled the pipeline’s key permit just hours after taking office, effectively ending the project that would have built nearly two thousand miles of pipeline and carried about 800,000 barrels of oil from Canada to Texas. (RELATED: Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon Slams Biden For ‘Devastating’ Executive Order Banning Oil And Gas Leases)

“Pipeline infrastructure projects already undergo a rigorous permitting process that allows experts to weigh-in on the security, safety, and environmental impacts of the project,” Manchin concluded. “I encourage you to let these processes proceed as intended and to not let politics drive the decision on the development of our nation’s vital energy infrastructure.”

Manchin’s letter follows his vote along with Democratic Montana Sen. Steve Daines to add an amendment to coronavirus relief bills reinstalling the permit for the pipeline. The amendment was later voted down in a 51-50 vote in the Senate.