MOSCOW, January 24 (Sputnik) — It is important to act on the Keystone XL pipeline, and Republicans hope that US President Barack Obama, who is opposed to the project, will be their partner, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said in a weekly Republican address Saturday.
"After more than 2,300 days of presidential indecision, it's important for us to act… It's our hope that President Obama will be a partner in our efforts and that he will start by finally approving the Keystone XL pipeline," Murkowski said.
She noted that the Keystone XL pipeline would help the United States show leadership as a "global energy superpower", and also support thousands of jobs and keep the energy affordable for Americans.
Murkowski added that once the Keystone XL pipeline is approved with bipartisan support by Congress, it will be possible to come forth with additional energy solutions as well, and vowed to help the process.
During State of the Union address on Tuesday, Obama urged Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more jobs than the current Keystone XL pipeline proposal allowing the company TransCanada Corporation to build and operate the pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the US Gulf Coast.
The White House and Obama have threatened to veto the controversial project should the bill be presented to the president. The US House recently passed the Keystone XL pipeline bill saying that the project would help the US economy by creating jobs.
A final State Department Environmental Impact Statement released in January said that there will be no significant environmental impact from the project, although activists warn that the Keystone pipeline will have a detrimental effect.
