Rep. Upton: 'Washington's Red Tape Factory' Delays Keystone Pipeline

Over-regulation by the government has stymied the Keystone XL oil pipeline, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton said at a hearing Thursday.

The hearing, which included testimony from House members and business groups, marked the five-year anniversary of TransCanada's application to build the pipeline, which would stretch from Alberta to the Gulf Coast.

"Washington's red-tape factory is making it harder to build things," said Upton, a Republican from Michigan, according to The Hill. "It seems the federal regulatory maze is designed to prevent us from investing, constructing, and building the next big thing."

Editor's Note: Should ObamaCare Be Defunded? Vote in Urgent National Poll

President Barack Obama is still to make a decision on whether to approve Keystone. He has said he will reject it if the pipeline would increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Some House Republicans want to include approval of the pipeline as part of a debt limit increase.

At the hearing, Republicans, industry representatives, and labor unions said Obama's delay is preventing an addition of 42,000 jobs.

"The president's inaction and the bureaucratic delays have created uncertainty about whether or not my state will get to reap the benefits of this pipeline," said Montana Republican Rep. Steven Daines, The Hill reports.