WASHINGTON, January 12, 2015 ─ API President and CEO Jack Gerard said today’s bipartisan Senate cloture vote on a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline shows Congress is following the will of the American people.

“Support for KXL in Congress is growing,” said Gerard. “Democrats and Republicans are joining forces to tell the White House that enough is enough and it’s time to approve the pipeline. With every vote more members are saying yes to Keystone, sending a strong message to the White House that this critical energy infrastructure project needs to be built now.

“We welcome the president’s remarks in favor of infrastructure projects, but we need more than words. We need action. We encourage the president to reconsider his veto threat and approve the KXL project and the thousands of jobs and enhanced energy security that will follow.”

API thanked the bipartisan co-sponsors in both chambers of Congress for their leadership in advancing this legislation.

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the oil and natural gas industry, which supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API’s more than 625 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 25 million Americans.