A House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee held a hearing on the Obama Administration’s decision to deny a permit for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline that would have carried oil from Canada to the U.S.
In response to the action, Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry introduced legislation called the North American Energy Access Act. It gives approval authority of the pipeline over to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This hearing is in response to Subcommittee Republicans not inviting key witnesses for Democrats at a previous hearing on January 25th. They invoked a House rule that allows the minority party to hold an additional hearing.
Panel One witnesses included U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program Chief Margaret Gaffney-Smith and Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director of Operations Mike Pool.
Panel Two witnesses included Retired Army Brig. Gen. Steven Anderson, and a Nebraska rancher named Randall Thompson.