Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) joined a bipartisan group of Senators in pressing newly-confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry to approve the Keystone XL pipeline within the first quarter of the year. In a letter to the State Department the ten Republican and ten Democrat Senators called on Kerry and President Obama to provide the public and other stakeholders with a definitive process for approving the project by the end of March. The Keystone XL pipeline has been under review for almost four and half years.
The Keystone XL pipeline will supply both energy from our closest friend and partner and create jobs in the United States. Further delay will continue to hurt job creation and may damage our relationship with Canada. We cannot afford more delay" wrote Sen. Cornyn.
The letter was led by Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Max Baucus (D-M.T.) and signed by Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Mark Begich (D-Alaska) John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) John Boozman (R-Ark.) Kay Hagan (D- N.C.) Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) Mary Landrieu (D-La.) Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) Rob Portman (R-Ohio) Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) Jon Tester (D-Mont.) David Vitter (R-La.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.)
The text of the letter follows:
The Honorable John Kerry Secretary of State Department of State Washington DC 20520
Dear Secretary Kerry:
As you begin your tenure as Secretary of State we urge you to make the timely approval of the Keystone XL pipeline one of your top priorities. We believe that you and the President should remain committed to reaching a decision within the first quarter of this year.
The State Department received the new route approved by the state of Nebraska on January 22 2013 but the Department has yet to inform the public and stakeholders of a definitive process for the final decision. We urge you as Secretary of State to ensure that this decision process be completed promptly.
As you noted in your recent discussions with the Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird we have an important energy relationship with Canada. The Keystone XL pipeline will supply both energy from our closest friend and partner and create jobs in the United States. Further delay will continue to hurt job creation and may damage our relationship with Canada. We cannot afford more delay. Thank you for your consideration.
/s/
Senator Cornyn serves on the Finance and Judiciary Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committees Immigration Refugees and Border Security subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General Texas Supreme Court Justice and Bexar County District Judge.
