Moran, GOP colleagues seek job loss data on dead Keystone XL Pipeline project

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) on June 9 signed on as an original cosponsor of GOP-led legislation that would require the U.S. Labor Secretary to provide Congress with a report on the estimated number of jobs projected to be lost due to the Biden administration revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Sen. Moran and 10 Republicans, including fellow cosponsors U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), and John Hoeven (R-ND), introduced the Defending Keystone Jobs Act, S. 1983. The legislation aims to glean job loss data on the now-defunct pipeline project that was expected to provide roughly 11,000 direct high-paying jobs and up to 60,000 indirect and direct jobs, generate tax revenue, increase renewable-energy demand, reduce emissions, and strengthen North American energy independence, according to information provided by Sen. Moran’s office.

“Canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline has cost our country thousands of good-paying jobs and made us more dependent on foreign countries to supply our domestic energy needs,” said Sen. Moran. “The Biden administration must reverse this policy, especially in light of its decision to waive sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and reprioritize the needs of American workers and energy consumers.”

On Wednesday, project developer TC Energy of Canada announced it was cancelling the project after the Biden administration revoked its permit in January, ending more than a decade of controversy over the pipeline slated to carry oil from Canada to the United States.

The bill has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.