WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. House of Representatives voted to create jobs and reduce our dependence on Middle East oil today with passage of H.R. 1938, North American-Made Energy Security Act. The measure passed the House with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 279 to 147.

The North American-Made Energy Security Act, authored by Reps. Lee Terry (R-NE) and Mike Ross (D-AR), will force the administration to make a final decision on a construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring millions of barrels of Canadian oil supplies to U.S. customers. The presidential permit application for the pipeline has languished at the State Department for nearly three years.

Completion of the pipeline expansion will double U.S. imports of Canadian oil, carrying nearly 1.3 million barrels a day to refineries throughout the Midwest and Texas. The increased capacity of safe and secure oil supplies will help restore confidence in the markets and bring down prices at the pump. The pipeline will also put tens of thousands of Americans back to work. Construction and operation of the pipeline is estimated to generate over 100,000 jobs.

"The United States needs the president to make a decision on the Keystone XL's permit. The uncertainty has gone on too long, and if we don't act, these energy supplies will go somewhere else. This bipartisan bill does not tell the president how to decide, it just requires him to make a decision. I commend Representatives Terry and Ross for finding a commonsense, bipartisan solution," said House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton.

"This bipartisan bill has a simple and straightforward objective - set a schedule, coordinate that schedule, and execute a decision process.  The more we delay this decision, the more reliant we become on oil from countries in the Middle East," said Terry. "This bill means less reliance on foreign oil, more jobs, and an energy policy which doesn't rely on less-than-friendly foreign nations.  We cannot afford any more delay."