WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Strengthening energy ties with Canada is a vital step for U.S. national security, the API said, urging Washington to expedite the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The U.S. State Department is reviewing route options for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which could lead to a delay of at least a year before the project gets the federal backing it needs.
Pipeline company TransCanada wants to build Keystone XL from tar sands projects in Alberta, Canada, to refineries along the southern U.S. coast. Russ Girling, the company's chief executive, was quoted by The Wall Street Journal this week as saying many customers may "throw up their hands" and walk away from the project.
The American Petroleum Institute called on U.S. President Barack Obama to push the project through to benefit the U.S. economy and enhance energy security.
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"Each delay has bred nothing but more delay which is standing in the way of safely moving vital energy for American consumers and the overall economy," API Refining Manager Cindy Schild said in a statement. "Strengthening our energy partnership with Canada is a critical step in reducing America's reliance on oil from less friendly sources and allowing us to control our energy future."
Protesters have formed human chains around the White House to protest the project. API notes it has the support of labor unions and U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the political debate.
Canadian officials have said that it may deliver its oil to Asian consumers if the United States balks on Keystone XL. The United States gets a significant percentage of its oil from Canada.
