Leaders from the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), United Association (UA), International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have submitted a joint letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging the timely approval of the Rover Pipeline project.
Writing on behalf of more than three million members, the leaders emphasized the importance of this critical infrastructure project and the benefits it will bring to our region.
“Announced in June 2014, Rover is one of the most promising and significant new domestic interstate natural gas pipeline projects. It will directly impact the local, regional and national labor force by creating as many as 10,000 construction jobs and contribute nearly $1 billion in direct spending to the U.S. economy in wages, taxes paid, and materials.”
Last fall FERC delayed the review timeline for the Rover Pipeline, putting thousands of high-paying jobs at risk and sidelining months of job-specific training and preparation.
“We have great concern that FERC’s protracted review of this project will leave thousands of our members who have been trained specifically with the Rover project in mind —without work and in search of other high-paying, shovel ready jobs this spring.”
In 2012, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum stating that, “we must make pipeline infrastructure a priority, ensuring the health, safety, and security of communities and the environment while supporting projects that can contribute to economic growth and a secure energy future.” We need an accountable regulatory review process that embraces the President’s directive without protracted timelines and unnecessary delays.
Our country is in the position to help meet its l0ng-term energy needs with low-cost, clean, and reliable domestic natural gas resources that benefit the U.S. economy, rather than overseas interests. The last thing we need is another government delay for a major energy infrastructure project. This project is critical to America’s energy future and we stand ready to do it right.