Congressman Lee Terry

OMAHA, NE –

Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE) along with Congressman Connie Mack (R-FL) today sent a bipartisan letter with over 100+ signatures of Members of Congress to the bicameral Transportation Conferees urging the inclusion of language relating to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in the final conference report.

"Increasing the production and distribution of North American oil while putting Americans back to work in some of our hardest hit communities have been the cornerstone issues for the expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline. It is imperative that we begin to move away from OPEC and Venezuelan oil imports and focus on domestic production. That is why I, along with Rep. Connie Mack, sent a bipartisan letter asking for the inclusion of XL pipeline construction language in the final transportation conference report," Terry said. "This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, it is an American issue."

Keystone XL would create jobs and have a positive impact on the American economy. Energy Policy Research Foundation, Inc. estimates that 15,000 construction jobs will be created to install the pipeline, and five major labor unions have endorsed the project. Thousands of jobs will be created as refineries expand and contractors build equipment to construct the pipeline. The project will also funnel millions of dollars of indirect activity into the economy and to States along the pipeline route through property taxes.

Attached is a copy of the letter sent to Senators Boxer and Inhofe, and Congressmen Mica and Rahall, the Transportation Conference Chairpersons.