WASHINGTON — A dispute over a plan to send oil from western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast is moving to Congress as the Republican-led House takes up a bill to speed a decision by the Obama administration.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on a bill that would set a Nov. 1 deadline for the State Department to decide whether to allow a Canadian company to build a 3,050-kilometre pipeline to carry crude oil extracted from tar sands in Alberta to refineries in Texas.
Republican Rep. Fred Upton, who chairs the energy panel, said it makes sense to pursue reliable and affordable energy in North America.
He said the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would create thousands of jobs and help cut gas prices.