US, Canadian engineers back Keystone XL application, urge swift approval

WASHINGTON, DC — The following statement was issued today by James T. Callahan, General President of the International Union of Operating Engineers, on TransCanada’s renewed application to build the Keystone XL Pipeline:

“We are pleased that TransCanada has decided to apply once again for the required permits to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Already the most studied and scrutinized pipeline project in history, we are confident that it will again be found to be the safest way to transport Canadian oil to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast. We urge the State Department to process the application without delay.

Operating Engineers in the U.S. and Canada stand ready to build this essential piece of North American energy infrastructure. Our members are among the most highly trained and skilled pipeline workers in the world. Their expertise will ensure that Keystone XL is built right, built safe and built to last.

In 2013, we completed work on the 487-mile Gulf Coast segment of Keystone XL. That project involved more than 11 million hours of labor, including over 2 million hours of work performed by members of the Operating Engineers.

It’s time to unlock the jobs this privately funded energy project will produce.”
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The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) represents 400,000 working men and women across the United States and Canada. Members of the IUOE are primarily operating engineers, who work as heavy equipment and crane operators, mechanics, and surveyors in the construction industry, and stationary engineers, who work in operations and maintenance in building and industrial complexes, as well as a number of job classifications in the petrochemical industry.