Washington, D.C. (January 27, 2017) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today on TransCanada’s refiling of an application for approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline:

With the refiling of the Keystone XL Pipeline permit request, thousands of hard-working LIUNA members are one step closer to securing good jobs. President Trump acted boldly and decisively to pave the way for the Keystone Pipeline with an Executive Order earlier this week and we look forward to swift approval of this crucial project, which will create thousands of good jobs and unlock affordable energy.

 

TransCanada, the project owner, has committed to building Keystone union, and LIUNA members and their fellow building tradesmen and women, are ready and waiting to do what we do best – proudly construct Keystone XL to be one of the safest and most technologically advanced pipelines in the world.

 

The previous Administration allowed the Keystone Pipeline approval process to be held hostage to an extremist environmental agenda in spite of multiple State Department reviews finding that the pipeline would be safe, in the national interest, and unlikely to contribute to climate change. The refiling of Keystone XL by TransCanada signals hope for hard-working men and women who have for too long had their careers and livelihoods undermined.

 

LIUNA is very encouraged by these early commitments from the new Administration to create good middle-class jobs. LIUNA is ready to work with the White House on an agenda that puts American workers first; creating good family-supporting jobs building infrastructure from the Keystone Pipeline and other energy infrastructure to our roads and bridges.

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build America.