Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) issued the following statement today after the U.S. State Department released the Final Environmental Impact Statement of the Keystone XL Pipeline:

"The release of the final analysis should bring us one step closer to moving this job-creating, domestic energy-producing project forward," Sen. Moran said. "Despite the Administration’s continued reluctance to approve this necessary project, the overwhelming majority Americans agree that we should proceed immediately. After five years of delay by the White House, President Obama is out of excuses. His decision should not be about special interests, it should be about the energy security of our country and job creation. Instead of throwing away this opportunity to do something good that won’t cost taxpayers a dime, it is time to take action, approve the project, progress through the permitting process, and allow the American workforce to move our country toward greater energy security with the building of the Keystone XL pipeline."

The Obama Administration has prolonged its review of the Keystone XL pipeline application for far longer than any other cross-border pipeline project. The more than five-year review has taken twice as long as it will take to build the pipeline.

In 2011, Congress passed legislation requiring the president to issue a decision on the project within 60 days. In response, the president cited environmental concerns in Nebraska in delaying the project. In March 2012, 56 senators voted to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project using congressional authority. With two Republican members missing, the measure was shy of passing by just two votes.

In March 2013, the U.S. State Department released its draft environmental assessment – the finds of which largely mirror the final the Final Environmental Impact Statement of the Keystone XL Pipeline released today. That same month, the president said he would make a decision on Keystone XL by the end of 2013, and the Senate passed a measure – with a bipartisan majority vote of 62 to 37 – establishing a formal recognition by the U.S. Senate that the Keystone XL pipeline will benefit the nation. An alternative bill designed to derail the project failed, 33 to 66.

The original Keystone pipeline already moves crude oil from Steele City, Neb., to the processing facility in Cushing, Okla. The Keystone XL pipeline would use the existing infrastructure to safely move crude through Kansas. As the ongoing operation of the original Keystone pipeline illustrates, crude oil can be moved safely over long distances.

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