AOPL Laments Missed Opportunity For Jobs & Environment In Keystone XL Rejection

By John Stoody, AOPL

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) lamented President Obama’s decision to reject the new jobs and environmental protection that would come through construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Pipelines are the safest ways to transport liquid energy and their construction creates good-paying manufacturing jobs for American workers. 

“The president rejected a real opportunity to create jobs and take advantage of the safest way to transport the energy America needs,” said Andrew Black, President and CEO of AOPL. 

Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would provide over 42,000 U.S. jobs and $2.1 billion in U.S. worker payroll, according to the U.S. State Department. While Keystone XL would support 6,800 construction jobs with $420 million in payroll, it would also lead to 4,600 manufacturing jobs with $309 million in payroll, 4,400 jobs in trade with $172 million in payroll, 2,200 jobs in finance and insurance with $131 million in payroll, 5,100 jobs in other professional services with $343 million in payroll, 2,700 jobs in health services with $141 million in payroll, and 5,700 jobs in food and accommodations with $278 million in payroll. 

The State Department’s environmental review also found building Keystone XL would do more to protect the environment and avoid greenhouse gas emissions than any alternative, including rejecting the pipeline. According to U.S. government statistics, 99.999% percent of petroleum products shipped by pipeline reach their destination safely. Since 1999, the number of incidents along pipeline rights of way is down 50%. Transporting crude oil by pipeline instead of other modes of transportation also results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. 

Keystone XL would be one of the safest pipelines ever built. The pipeline’s operator pledged to adhere to 59 special safety conditions, including more rigorous pipeline design, manufacturing, construction, records and reporting, testing, operational, and maintenance standards developed in coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.