Last week 11 democratic senators signed a letter to President Obama urging a Keystone Pipeline decision be made by May 31. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota spearheaded the letter along with new Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana. The senators expressed the importance of not missing the summer construction season.

However, this is a process that has now gone on well past five years, has involved two applications, five federal reviews, multiple open comment periods, and numerous opportunities for consultation and comment  at either public forums or at staff-level meetings… This process has been exhaustive in its time, breadth, and scope. It has already taken much longer than anyone can reasonably justify… We cannot miss another construction season, given the long cold winter this year along the Keystone XL route and the time required for ground thaw, we could be looking at a very short season. We need a definitive timeline laid out, a timeline that reduces the comment period for federal agencies, officials and other entities. A timeline that requires Secretary Kerry to present you with his national interest determination shortly after the comment and consultation period ends. This decision must not drag on into the summer.