LIUNA Calls on President to Approve Keystone XL Pipeline

"Not Just a Pipeline – It's a Lifeline"

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LIUNA – the Laborers' International Union of North America – today called on President Obama to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline and put Americans back to work. 

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"This will be the safest pipeline ever built and its route has been revised to reflect environmental concerns," LIUNA General President Terry O'Sullivan said. "Further delay is unnecessary. For men and women desperate for work, Keystone XL is not just a pipeline – it's a lifeline."

The pipeline will create thousands of good jobs at a time when unemployment in the construction industry remains far above the national average, with nearly 1 million men and women jobless.

"There is no rationale for further delay," O'Sullivan said. The pipeline would carry more than 900,000 barrels of oil a day from Canada's oil sands to the U.S., reducing reliance on oil from hostile nations. TransCanada has committed to 57 additional safety measures beyond what is required by law and the pipeline will be monitored electronically around the clock 365 days a year.  After exhaustive environmental review, the U.S. Department of State issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement stating that the Keystone pipeline would have "no significant impact" on the environment.

"While environmental groups decry oil sands development, it is clear that this valuable resource will be developed, regardless of whether Keystone XL is built," O'Sullivan said. "The only question is whether Americans will benefit from pipeline construction and refining of the oil. Keystone XL is a privately funded infrastructure project that will be built under a family-supporting project labor agreement voluntarily agreed to by TransCanada.  To reject these good jobs in construction, manufacturing and energy production doesn't make sense." 

The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers' International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build America.

SOURCE Laborers' International Union of North America

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