AJC Disappointed by Keystone Pipeline Project Delay

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Nov 11, 2011, 11:21 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is disappointed by the Obama administration's imposition of a lengthy delay in deciding whether to permit the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

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"We certainly understand the need to assure that the 1,700-mile pipeline is consistent with environmental protection," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "Environmental stewardship is an issue AJC has always taken seriously, demonstrated most recently by the attainment of LEED Gold certification for our national headquarters.

"At the same time, we continue to believe that the Keystone XL pipeline is a crucial step in strengthening U.S. energy security," Harris said. "It could provide short- and medium-term measures aimed at meeting U.S. oil needs from a stable and friendly source, while we transition to a clean, renewable energy economy. It could also be a sorely needed boon to the American economy by creating thousands of new private sector jobs."

"A lengthy postponement threatens to destroy the project by prompting Canada to choose an alternative plan and deliver its crude to Asia, so we urge the administration to reconsider and act expeditiously in moving toward a decision that will allow the project to proceed," he said.

The Transportation Department had earlier issued 57 safety requirements for the pipeline, and the State Department noted that if the conditions are met, the Keystone XL project will have "a degree of safety over any other typically constructed domestic oil pipeline system under current code."

Yesterday, the State Department announced it will study an alternative route to avoid environmentally sensitive areas in Nebraska, especially the Ogallala aquifer - a massive underground water supply in the pipeline's path. The administration said the fate of the Keystone XL project would only be decided after the next presidential election.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty expressed a gloomy view of the pipeline prospects yesterday, saying Canada might not wait until the U.S. eventually makes a decision.

"I'm not sure the project would survive that kind of delay," Flaherty said. "It may mean that we may have to move quickly to ensure that we can export our oil to Asia through British Columbia."

In a letter to Secretary of State Clinton last month expressing support for the project, Harris and AJC President Robert Elman stressed that energy security is "essential to the economic and social well-being of our country, our national security and the continuance of our broad role in world affairs."

"It remains as true today as it was yesterday that construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is a crucial step in bolstering U.S. energy security and strengthening the beleaguered U.S. economy," Harris concluded.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee