North America’s Building Trades Unions Call for Civil Discourse as Nebraska Begins Keystone XL Hearing Process
May 1, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tom Owens
202-756-4623
towens@buildingtrades.org
North America’s Building Trades Unions Call for Civil Discourse as Nebraska Begins Keystone XL Hearing Process
WASHINGTON, DC – The following statement was released today by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) in advance of the May 2 hearing in York, Nebraska concerning the Keystone XL Pipeline:
“The first hearing by the Nebraska Public Service Commission on the permit to allow the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline will be held on May 3rd in York, Nebraska. This hearing, along with subsequent hearings across the state in the coming months, can be expected to focus national attention on the critical need for new energy infrastructure.
“NABTU has offered its full support for the Keystone XL project, inasmuch as it will create thousands of construction jobs and provide economic stimulus for communities along the proposed route.
“At each stage of the approval process, our unions have conducted themselves in a responsible and restrained manner, even and especially when decisions ran counter to our position in support of this project.
“Recently, however, actions by extremist opposition groups against similar high profile projects like the Dakota Access Pipeline have worked to escalate tensions, and resulted in threats and intimidation targeting workers and law enforcement officers, as well as significant property and environmental damage.
“This behavior cannot become the norm. To that end, NABTU has pledged that we will:
- Support and encourage open debate and discussion between both supporters and opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline
- Act in a civil and respectful manner in hearings, open meetings and at public events
- Obey the rule of law
“NABTU calls on all concerned citizens and parties to join us in this pledge.”
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North America’s Building Trades Unions are an alliance of 14 national and international unions that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. In partnership with our signatory contractors, we invest over $1.2 billion annually to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training centers across North America
