TransCanada President for energy and oil pipelines Alex Pourbaix speaks during the CERAWeek world petrochemical conference in Houston March 6, 2012. (REUTERS/Richard Carson)

WASHINGTON - Fans of the Keystone XL pipeline came out swinging Tuesday, pushing back against what they say are "overstated" claims of activist protesters and urging President Barack Obama to approve the project right away.

Tuesday's pro-Keystone press conference comes two days after thousands protested the pipeline in Washington. Protesters say building Keystone would contribute to climate change by encouraging development of Canada's oilsands.

But TransCanada's Alex Pourbaix, who joined executives of powerful manufacturing and oil groups in Washington Tuesday, shot back saying environmental concerns about Alberta's oilsands have been "overstated."