US Senate Republicans Introduce Bill To Measure Lost Keystone Pipeline Jobs In US

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2021) US Senate Republicans led by Jim Risch introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require the Biden administration to produce a report to Congress about the number of jobs lost as a consequence of his decision to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, Risch's office said in a press release.

"US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and 10 of his Senate Republican colleagues today introduced the Defending Keystone Jobs Act, which would require the Department of Labor to submit a report to Congress on the number of jobs lost as a direct or indirect result of the Biden administration's move to cancel construction of the Keystone XL pipeline," Risch's office said.

Risch was joined by Senate colleagues Mike Crapo, Steve Daines, John Barrasso, Cynthia Lummis, Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall, John Hoeven, Kevin Cramer, Tom Cotton, and Bill Cassidy.

Biden's decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline project was framed in contrast to his decision not to sanction the Nord Stream 2 pipeline AG and CEO, with senators like Daines claiming that Biden is "standing with Russian workers" over American ones.

The decision to cancel the pipeline was one of Biden's very first executive orders, having been issued on his first day in office. The project could create roughly 11,000 direct high-paying jobs and up to 60,000 indirect and direct jobs in addition to strengthening North American energy independence, the statement claimed.