BILLINGS – U.S. Sen. Jon Tester says he wants to prohibit the export of oil carried by the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Tester introduced legislation Tuesday that would bar the export of crude or refined oil carried by Keystone without a waiver from the president. He says he supports the pipeline and keeping the oil in the U.S. would increase energy security.
The $7 billion pipeline proposed by Calgary-based TransCanada would carry oil from Canada’s tar sands about 1,700 miles to refineries on the Gulf Coast.
TransCanada executives have suggested that whether oil is exported from the Gulf would be up to the refiners and producers that would be pipeline customers.
A similar bill prohibiting exports has been introduced in the House.