[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 9 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H84-H85]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Harper) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HARPER. Madam Speaker, I am deeply disappointed by President 
Obama's decision to deny TransCanada's application to build the 
Keystone XL pipeline. I know that many of my colleagues in the House, 
Members of the Senate, and citizens across this country share my 
disappointment and near disbelief. I say ``near'' disbelief rather than 
``complete'' because while an approval of the application made sense to 
so many, I had a feeling that the President would continue down a path 
of making political decisions instead of decisions based on merit and 
what is best for our country, much like the knee-jerk reaction and 
decision to shut down drilling in the Gulf of Mexico after the 
Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010.
  Instead of shutting down the negligent parties involved in the 
explosion, the President shut down an entire industry for 6 months, and 
then it took almost another 6 months before the first permit was 
issued--almost a 1-year delay that cost thousands of families their 
jobs. While the President may talk about energy independence, I 
question whether he understands the role that oil plays in our economy 
and will continue to play in our Nation's energy portfolio. Even worse 
would be if he does understand and is just making political decisions.
  The application for Keystone XL has been pending for over 3 years; 
and even though history shows that these types of applications 
generally take 18 months to approve, the President said that a February 
21, 2012, deadline imposed by Congress did not give him enough time to 
properly review the application. The Keystone XL application

[[Page H85]]

was pending for twice as long as a normal application. The President's 
argument about not having enough time to make a decision to approve the 
project is weak, at best. The application was filed more than 3 years 
ago, and a final decision on whether to let the pipeline go forward was 
long, long overdue.
  Unfortunately, I believe the wrong decision has been made. And if he 
didn't want to approve it for environmental reasons, I wonder if 
thought was given to the fact that China wants the oil if the United 
States does not get it, and that means putting the oil on tankers, 
which we know would have a much more negative impact on the environment 
than pipelines.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States needs the XL Keystone pipeline. In his 
first term in office, the President has loosely talked about the need 
for energy independence. Keystone XL could help provide the United 
States with the certainty of almost a million barrels of oil a day, and 
that oil comes from our friend and largest trading partner, Canada, not 
the Middle East. At a time when the price at the pump continues to 
fluctuate--in part due to uncertainty in the Middle East--I cannot 
understand how the President justified denying the transport of 
friendly Canadian oil to our gulf coast refineries.
  When the President took office in January 2009, the average cost of a 
gallon of gas was $1.83. On January 23, 2012, AAA reports that the 
current average is $3.83 per gallon. The record for the highest annual 
average price for a gallon of gasoline ever in our Nation's history was 
set in 2011. A major factor in recent high prices is continued 
political tension in the Middle East and North Africa. These events 
have threatened or disrupted huge quantities of oil, causing great fear 
among investors. It is beyond evident that America needs relief.
  The President has struggled with turning the economy around since 
taking office 3 years ago, and his speeches often center on the subject 
of jobs. Mr. Speaker, I hope that the President realizes that his 
denial of the Keystone XL application is costing our country tens of 
thousands of jobs. An analysis by the Perryman Group, an economic 
consultant in Texas, has demonstrated the tremendous job-creating 
potential of this project. It is the reason that six major labor unions 
have signed project labor agreements to construct the pipeline. These 
are good-paying American jobs that union members are eager to fill. 
However, instead of issuing the necessary permits to begin construction 
of the pipeline and put Americans to work, the administration drags its 
feet for over 3 years and at the end of that time denied an estimated 
120,000 Americans jobs to provide a way to support their families.
  Pro-business groups like Americans for Prosperity and the Chamber of 
Commerce support Keystone XL as a way to give a much-needed boost to 
the economy. Pro-labor groups support Keystone XL because they know it 
will create jobs. Americans across the country asked President Obama to 
approve this project. They realized its importance but were clearly 
ignored.
  The Keystone XL pipeline is just one example of how House Republicans 
have been working to promote job creation without the need for 
``stimulus'' money. While the President decided to pander to his 
extreme environmentalist supporters in a campaign year instead of 
keeping the best interests of the American people at heart, I do not 
believe that this battle is over.
  Our country needs the pipeline. We need these jobs. We need cheaper 
gas at the pumps, and I'm committed to working towards alternative ways 
to get it back.

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