Udall Statement on Decision to Reject the Keystone Pipeline

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after President Obama announced he would deny TransCanada Corp.'s request to build the Keystone XL Pipeline:

"Instead of doubling down on foreign oil, the United States needs a forward-thinking energy strategy that will maximize our energy potential while strengthening our economy and our energy security. The Keystone pipeline has always been about benefiting corporate Canadian tar sands oil producers, not American consumers, and it wouldn't advance our economic or energy future. I urged the president to take climate change into account with his decision, and I'm pleased that global warming was the driving factor in his rejection of TransCanada Corp.'s request. New Mexico and the Southwest are at the bull's eye when it comes to the impacts of global warming. It's time to turn our focus to a 'do it all, do it right' energy policy that balances traditional and clean energy sources and creates the well-paying jobs of the future that our young people need."

Udall has been a leading voice calling for the United States to fight climate change by developing clean energy sources. For example, he has long fought to set a national renewable electricity standard that would require utilities to generate 30 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. Udall passed a similar proposal as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He has continued to champion the measure as a member of the Senate.