WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Canadian corporation behind the Keystone XL Pipeline, TransCanada, will continue to try and build the pipeline despite US President Barack Obama’s veto of the bill that authorizes its construction, TransCanada President and CEO Russ Girling said in a statement.
“TransCanada remains fully committed to Keystone XL despite today’s veto of bipartisan legislation in support of the project,” Girling said in the statement on Tuesday. “The facts show Keystone XL passes the national interest determination test and President Obama’s climate test.”
Obama sent a letter to the US Senate on Tuesday vetoing the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act from moving forward despite the fact that both chambers of the US Congress passed the bill.
Girling said that his company would continue to work with the US Department of State and any other US federal agency to address “any outstanding concerns” about the Keystone pipeline.
“The pipeline represents a choice of how Americans want to get the oil they need safely and where it should come from…” Girling said. “Keystone will be the safest pipeline ever built in America and be an important part of a modern energy infrastructure system that helps minimize impacts to the environment.”
The Keystone XL pipeline would connect Alberta, Canada and the US Gulf Coast. The pipeline would bring an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to US refineries, according to the congressional Energy and Commerce Committee estimate.
Environmentalists claim the Keystone XL pipeline project will contribute to carbon emissions and climate change. However, the US State Department’s Environmental Impact Statement released in January said that Keystone XL will not cause a significant impact.
