AISI disappointed over rejection of Keystone XL pipeline bill by US Senate

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The legislation to go ahead with the construction of Keystone XL pipeline failed to pass the US Senate. The motion that needed 60 votes to pass, failed short of single vote. In the Tuesday evening vote, 59 senators voted in favour, while 41 voted against. Earlier, the US House of Representatives on Friday had given final approval to the long delayed construction of Keystone XL pipeline. The H.R. 5682 legislation was passed by 252-161-1 vote.

The passage of Bill 2280 would have resulted in speedy construction of pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast. All 45 Republican Senators voted in favour. They further assured that the bill will be reintroduced during January next year.

The pipeline project is estimated to add $3.4 billion in additional revenue to GDP and create over 42,000 jobs.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) expressed disappointment in Senate Keystone vote. The steel body urged the Obama administration to put an end to the six-year old bureaucratic hurdle by granting presidential permit for the project. According to them, further delay ofr the pipeline project could have significant national security implications.

Meanwhile, Canada too expressed disappointment over the Senate decision, stating that the delay in arriving at a final decision will prevent creation of large number of jobs and long term economic prosperity of the entire region.