Mr. LANKFORD. Millions of Americans are jobless. In response, the House of Representatives has passed more than 20 jobs bills.
This past July, the North American-Made Energy Security Act urged President Obama to issue a final permitting decision on the Keystone pipeline, which will connect Canada's rich oil sands to the U.S. refineries along the gulf coast.
Our dependence on Middle East oil is a security and economic challenge that we must overcome.
The proposed pipeline would consist of over 1,700 miles capable of delivering more than half a million barrels of crude oil each day. In my home State of Oklahoma, this pipeline project is expected to add $1.2 billion in economic impact.
This pipeline presents a unique chance for America to truly cull back our precarious dependence on Middle East oil while also adding tremendous economic activity to our stagnant economy.
In early November of this year, the Obama administration made an unacceptable political decision to punt the approval of the Keystone pipeline until after the Presidential election. A few weeks ago, I formally asked the Secretary of State to at least approve the southern route of the pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma, to the gulf. Our country has waited for Presidential approval for 3 years.