Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) released the following statement today upon news of President Obama’s decision to block construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline:

“Today President Obama chose to promote the interests of environmental groups over those of Oklahomans and the rest of our country. The Keystone pipeline would create thousands of jobs by embracing America’s energy innovation and would help reduce our dependence on oil from foreign countries. The president’s latest move continues his trend of blocking pro-growth economic policies and drags our country backwards when we ought to strongly lead the way in energy production,” said Lucas.

A 2014 report from the State Department found that the pipeline would result in significant economic growth, including 42,100 jobs and contribute $3.4 billion to the U.S. GDP. The report also found that the pipeline would have a much smaller impact on the climate compared to other methods of transportation like rail or tanker.

Oklahoma’s portion of the Keystone XL pipeline has already been completed.