US Governors Ask Obama to Sign Keystone Approval Bill

US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said more than 20 US governors sent a letter to the White House, asking Barack Obama to sign the final bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline project; Obama has threatened to veto the bill.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A group of more than 20 US governors sent a letter to US President Barack Obama urging him to sign the final bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline, US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said during a weekly briefing on Thursday.

“More than 20 of our nation’s governors this morning sent a letter to the White House, asking the President [Obama] to consider signing this important bill,” Boehner said.

The Speaker said the Keystone XL pipeline project will create at least 42,000 jobs, adding that “there is no good reason, none whatsoever, for the president to veto this jobs bill.”

President Obama has threatened to veto the bill.

The House of Representatives passed the final version of the Keystone XL pipeline approval bill on Wednesday. The House had already passed similar legislation in January, and voted once again because of Senate amendments, including a provision that “climate change is real and not a hoax.”

The Keystone XL pipeline would connect Alberta, Canada and the US Gulf Coast. The pipeline would bring an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to US refineries, according to the congressional Energy and Commerce Committee estimates.

Environmental groups have claimed that the Keystone XL pipeline project will contribute to carbon emissions and climate change, while being of little benefit. However, the State Department Environmental Impact Statement released in January said that Keystone XL will not cause a significant impact.