U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, made the following statement regarding pending legislation that would authorize and build the Keystone XL Pipeline.

"We've been pushing to approve the Keystone XL pipeline for nearly four years now. The timing is beyond obvious that it's a political stunt. The American people deserve to know if the effort by Democratic leadership to finally make good on our request is a serious attempt to build the pipeline and grow our economy, or if this is a shell game," said Vitter.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow on H.R. 5682, introduced by Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), which would authorize building the Keystone XL pipeline. The Senate is expected to vote on Keystone next week, and an agreement has been made in the Senate to send H.R. 5682 to the President upon passage.

Vitter was the first member of the Senate to introduce legislation to expedite the Keystone pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline will carry 830,000 barrels of oil a day to U.S. refineries. According to the U.S. State Department, its construction will create 42,000 jobs. Vitter also reintroduced legislation this Congress. Click here to read more.

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