Labor, Industry, Respond to Montana District Court Decision on USACE Nationwide Permit 12
INGAA Contact: Amy Conway, 832-667-5137
API Contact: Emily Smith, 703-888-7025
NABTU Contact: Betsy Barrett, 202-756-4623
Washington, D.C. – The North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) issued the following statement in response to the April 15 decision by a Federal judge in the District Court of Montana that vacated the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers issuance of a Nationwide Permit 12 for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline project:
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Nationwide Permit 12 is critical to the responsible and efficient development and maintenance of energy and other vital infrastructure projects across America, as well as the millions of good-paying union jobs that they support. Whether it’s a utility line, broadband cable, or a water main, this general nationwide permit allows construction and maintenance activities that will have minimal environmental impacts.
“Based on our initial review, one thing is clear: the judge’s decision to vacate NWP12 went well beyond what the plaintiffs requested. The decision creates tremendous uncertainty in an already uncertain time, and could lead to lengthy delays.”
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NABTU is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1.6 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and productive, skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color and military veterans in the construction industry.
API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our more than 600 members produce, process and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports more than ten 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 our first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.
INGAA represents the U.S. natural gas pipeline industry. INGAA’s members deliver clean, abundant, affordable natural gas throughout North America and operate approximately 200,000 miles of pipelines that serve as an indispensable link between natural gas producers and consumers.