Some House Democrats may be ready to begin a new fight to approve the embattled Keystone XL pipeline, upping the ante with veterans groups.
“The fight to build the Keystone pipeline is not over,” said Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., in joining with Republicans, some Democrats and veterans to urge the passage of legislation to lift the 40-year-old ban on oil exports, while hinting that a new move may be afoot on pushing forward the pipeline project.
Bishop joined the group Vet4Energy Thursday at a rally announcing a lobbying push by America’s servicemen to get Congress to pass legislation to lift the ban soon. Aides says they are hopeful a bill will be passed in the House next week.
The Keystone XL pipeline has been stalled for almost seven years by the Obama administration. Most Democrats raise the specter of climate change when citing the embattled project, which has been long a GOP priority. The pipeline would connect Canadian oil from the oil sands in Alberta to refiners on the Gulf Coast.
Bishop paired the lifting of the oil-export ban and approval of the pipeline as energy priorities for Congress.
“Both Keystone and crude send … an important signal to both the American public and our adversaries overseas that the U.S. will not be bullied by foreign interests in regard to energy and oil,” Bishop said.
He was joined by Republicans Reps. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky, Mike Conaway of Texas and Bill Johnson of Ohio.
