API Responds To Supreme Court Decision On Nationwide Permit 12, Keystone XL

The American Petroleum Institute released the following statement from Chief Legal Officer and Senior Vice President Paul G. Afonso in response to the Supreme Court's order reinstating the Nationwide Permit 12 program for pipeline construction projects across the country.

"The highest court has reinstated Nationwide Permit 12, and for good reason – Pipelines are the backbone of America’s energy infrastructure and the safest way to deliver affordable, reliable and cleaner energy to communities across the country. This is a significant step toward restoring more certainty for energy companies, but declining to revive the permit for Keystone XL is short-sighted as the project has already been thoroughly reviewed for well over a decade. As this case moves forward, we will urge the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to reinstate the permit for all pipeline projects, including Keystone XL."

API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 600 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports 10.9 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In its first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.