Senators Urge President to Lift Restrictions

Posted: Jan 25, 2012 6:09 PM by KATC
Updated: Jan 25, 2012 6:16 PM

Today, Senator David Vitter and 20 other senators sent a letter to President Obama urging him to lift restrictions on oil and gas development and alternative energy sources.

"American energy, skills for American worker." President Obama talked about relying more on American energy pushing to open more than 75-percent of the country's potential offshore oil and gas resources.

Senator David Vitter agrees, but wants the President to first lift government restrictions on the Keystone XL pipeline project, which the Obama administration recently denied. "It's important for domestic energy because it will have important on-ramps to get oil from the Dakotas and Oklahoma to our refineries in the Gulf Coast"

President of Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Don Briggs agrees the Keystone project will increase oil production and create jobs. "That pipeline would not have just been coming through the state, there would've been thousands and thousands of pipeline through this country that would have created over 20,000 jobs," Briggs said.

"Producing the enegry we need, traditional and fossil fuels and clean energy sources can create a lot of jobs," Senator Mary Landrieu said.

The Environmental Protection agency came out against the Keystone KL pipeline saying the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions are global and could potentially impact the United States.