WSJM: House committee approves Walberg pipeline bill

A bill from Congressman Tim Walberg to prevent the shutdown of oil pipelines by the White House has been approved in a House committee. Walberg spoke Tuesday during a hearing of the Energy Subcommittee and introduced his Protecting International Pipelines for Energy Security, or PIPES Act, as an amendment to the Promoting Cross-border Energy Infrastructure Act.

“The amendment prohibits the president from revoking any presidential permit or authorization for the construction, operation, or maintenance of an oil, natural gas pipeline, electric transmission facility, or any cross-border facility,” Walberg said.

Walberg said politics shouldn’t force the closure of a pipeline.

“If this was really about protecting the environment and lowering costs, the Biden administration would be working with us to modernize existing pipelines and building new ones.”

Walberg said President Joe Biden unilaterally stopped work on the Keystone XL pipeline. He added the oil that would have come through the pipeline will still come into the country, just through a different method. The committee approved his amendment.

This article originally appeared on WSJM.com on February 28.