OKLAHOMA CITY (Legal Newsline) – Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt announced that his state has joined with five other states in filing an amicus brief supporting TransCanada’s federal lawsuit that claims the president overstepped constitutional boundaries in blocking the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
“States like Oklahoma, which the Keystone XL Pipeline runs through, want this project completed,” Pruitt said. “Oklahoma’s economy has already been boosted by the creation of good-paying jobs, and the project will continue to create jobs throughout the rest of the country. Congress has the sole authority to approve the project, and they have already done so.”
The brief argues that the authority to approve the pipeline lies with Congress and not the president. It is supported by every state the pipeline would pass through – Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
“In this case, the states’ interest and the national interest is in promoting environmentally sound interstate and international commerce by constructing the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would lead to tens of thousands of jobs and billions in economic development, especially in small and often struggling communities in the amici states,” the brief states.