WASHINGTON, June 18, 2014 ─ The American Petroleum Institute (API) praised the Keystone XL legislation that passed with bipartisan support in the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee and called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. API’s President and CEO Jack Gerard said the president’s foot dragging on Keystone XL has only strengthened the resolve of the project’s supporters.

“Lawmakers who care about middle class Americans are fighting for the jobs and energy security Keystone XL would bring,” said Gerard. “We urge the Senate to take a leadership role and complete the process that has taken far too long in creating good paying American jobs.

“Our friends in the labor community, who desperately want the good jobs KXL would create, should not be held hostage by a president who puts politics above the facts on this issue.

“A majority of American voters overwhelmingly support building Keystone XL and are ready to go to the polls for candidates who support Keystone. It’s time those voices are heard. Let’s stop the excuses and let’s get to work to provide the energy this country needs for the future.”

API thanked Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), as well as others in Congress, for their leadership and ongoing efforts to get this vital energy infrastructure built.

API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 600 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy.