North Country Congressman Bill Owens has voted in favor of legislation that would approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

The legislation passed in the House Friday by a vote of 252 to 161.

“The American people have waited more than six years for the Keystone XL project to move forward, creating thousands of jobs, providing greater energy security, and growing our valuable economic partnership with Canada,” said Owens, a Democrat from Plattsburgh who is leaving Congress in January after not running for another term.

“Approval for this project is long overdue, especially after the State Department has repeatedly determined that the project’s benefits would far outweigh its costs,” Owens said in a statement after the vote.

“There is always risk when transporting oil but pipelines are safer and cleaner than oil transported by truck or rail. I urge the Senate and the President to approve this legislation expeditiously so the project can move forward to completion.”

As co-chair of the bipartisan Northern Border Caucus, Owens has advocated the pipeline throughout its review process. He expressed disappointment at the Obama Administration’s initial rejection of the project and applauded construction of the southern portion when that initial step was approved.

In 2013, Owens expressed support for the Northern Route Approval Act that would have approved construction of the pipeline. Owens also joined a bipartisan coalition of nearly 150 members of Congress to call on President Obama to move the project forward as quickly as possible. He renewed his call for the project’s approval earlier this year.

In January 2014, the U.S. State Department concluded the fifth and final Environmental Impact Statement for this project, demonstrating to Owens’ satisfaction that the construction of the Keystone Pipeline would have a minimal impact on the environment. These assessments have included over 15,000 pages of scientific research, which represents one of the most exhaustive environmental reviews for any pipeline project in the history of North America, Owens said.

The statement also concluded that Keystone would support about 42,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs, adding $2 billion in earnings and $3.4 billion in GDP to the U.S. economy.