House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the Keystone XL energy project, as President Obama is slated to meet today with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Speaker Boehner last month met with Alberta Premier Alison Redford to discuss President Obama’s delay of the project which jeopardizes the creation of more than 20,000 new American jobs.

“When the administration first abandoned American jobs by irresponsibly punting on this project, it blamed issues with the state of Nebraska.  In the weeks since, Nebraska has unanimously passed legislation to coordinate with the federal government so work can begin on the pipeline as soon as possible. While it might make for inconvenient politics for the President, the administration is out of excuses and running out of time. Prime Minister Harper has made clear that if this project is not approved, American competitors, such as China, will gain from our loss. This project is good for the economy, and it’s good for America’s energy security. With Nebraska already taking action, it is my hope that the President will use today’s meeting with the Prime Minister to announce the project’s approval. If he doesn’t, the House is prepared to act to accelerate the approval so that we can put tens of thousands of Americans back to work.”