Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, issued the following statement on the President’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline:

“This news is not surprising. If President Obama wanted to approve it he had multiple opportunities to do so. This is all part of his political games. His excuses for rejecting this pro-job and pro-growth project are unsupported. The State Department, under both Secretaries Clinton and Kerry, has conducted five reviews, which show the Keystone XL pipeline is in the best interest for our economy, the environment, and national security. I do think this outcome is unfortunate, because a portion of the pipeline has already been built through Texas. However—in less than a year, we will have elected a new president and we must hope that it is someone that isn’t as politically motivated and strategically short sighted as our current president.”

###