Wayne Pratt, Inside INdiana Business.com
Watch the video at InsideINdianaBusiness.com
An effort is underway to engage more Hoosier businesses in the national energy policy conversation, including the debate surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century Energy Vice President Matt Koch met with Indiana business leaders this week to outline the organization's domestic energy policy. He says a key part of that strategy is the proposed pipeline, which would go through several states to bring Canadian oil reserves to market. Koch tells Inside INdiana Business even though the pipeline will not come through Indiana, there is at least one Hoosier company that has a vested interest in the project.
Koch believes the pipeline will bring more energy to Indiana and the rest of the U.S. and that could help economies grow and provide a stable presence when overseas suppliers face political uncertainty.
The entire project remains under review. President Barack Obama rejected a plan earlier this year and the Canadian company proposing the pipeline have submitted a new application.
The U.S. Chamber is hoping for a decision on the fate of the project soon, but there are strong indications out of Washington, D.C. it could be put off until after the election.
Opponents of the Keystone pipeline believe the project could harm water supplies, increase air pollution around refineries and harm wildlife.
A lawsuit has been filed in Nebraska claiming the state's pipeline review process is unconstitutional.