The American Trucking Associations on Friday, Oct. 7, asked the State Department to issue a presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, a project ATA says will provide jobs, as well as affordable access to reliable energy, for the trucking industry and the entire U.S. economy.
“Diesel fuel is, and will likely continue to be, the lifeblood of the American trucking industry,” said Bill Graves, ATA president and chief executive officer. “The State Department can help ensure that the 18-wheelers that deliver America’s essential goods like food, fuel and medicine have reliable access to that fuel by approving the Keystone XL project. Approving this project would give a green light to thousands of new jobs and a much-needed economic stimulus.”
Richard Moskowitz, ATA vice president and regulatory affairs counsel, testified on behalf of the federation during the State Department’s hearing that importing petroleum from Canada, rather than unstable regimes in other parts of the world, will help the trucking industry by increasing the stability of supply and making the price of diesel less susceptible to price spikes.
“Recent events in the Middle East should serve as a wake-up call on the need to improve U.S. energy security,” Moskowitz said. “The development of Keystone XL will provide a stable long-term supply of crude oil from Montana, the Dakotas and Canada – one of our strongest and most loyal allies – to refineries in the United States. The United States’ reliance on imported oil places U.S. consumers at greater risk of supply disruptions and damaging price spikes. Volatile diesel prices harm the trucking industry and jeopardize the U.S. economy.”
