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Obama Administration’s Decision to Deny the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit
January 18, 2012
Contact: Jay Lederer (202) 778-2626 jlederer@iuoe.org
Statement by
International Union of Operating Engineers General President James T. Callahan
on
Obama Administration’s Decision to Deny
the Keystone XL Pipeline Permit
Today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of State to withhold approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is a blow to America’s construction workers. As the sector hardest hit by the recession and one that still grapples with an unemployment rate of 16%, this project could have been a lifeline to thousands of unemployed Operating Engineers.
The IUOE is deeply disappointed in the Administration’s decision. We will continue to work with our partners in labor and the industry to bring vital energy projects online and to create the kind of high-paying, skilled jobs that are so vital to our economy, our members and their families.
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The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) represents more than 400,000 members in 123 local unions across the U.S. and Canada, including operating engineers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors in the construction industry; stationary engineers in building and industrial maintenance; nurses and other health care workers; and public employees.
Straight talk about the Keystone XL Oil pipeline
Keystone delay has Canada pondering China oil deal
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday he had concerns the $7-billion Keystone XL pipeline might not win political approval in the U.S., and added that Canada should be looking outside the United States for markets.
“I am very serious about selling our oil off this continent, selling our energy products off to Asia. I think we have to do that.”Common sense tells us that we’re not done using oil in the U.S., let alone the rest of the world. We have a ways to go to convert, although alternative fuels, wind turbines, and solar arrays are starting to have an impact. We know, and both pundits and politicians talk about, the critical nature of energy independence, and there’s no question that Canadian oil reserves are a strategic asset for North America.
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