The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on the Keystone XL Pipeline. Lawmakers reviewed alternatives to expedite construction approval. Labor union and oil production company representatives testified.
The 1,700 mile and $7 billion pipeline would carry oil from Canada to refineries in Texas.
Jane Kleeb, executive director of the anti-pipeline group Bold Nebraska, testified along with Alex Pourbaix, President of theTransCanada pipeline company.
A group of Senate Republicans unveiled legislation this week to move forward on the Keystone XL Pipeline project. Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), who co-authored the bill with Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), said Wednesday that it was time to "pursue domestic energy alternatives and reduce the need for foreign oil."
The plan would require a State Department permit to allow the pipeline project to move ahead within 60 days, unless President Obama determines that doing so not in the national interest.
The House already passed a bill that would have required a decision by November 1, but that legislation has been disregarded by the Senate.