[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 42 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2417-H2421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 KEYSTONE PIPELINE AND ENERGY SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, we have just gone through an hour of talking 
about uninsured, and I want to talk an hour about creating jobs and 
that it is time to build the Keystone pipeline.
  The Keystone pipeline has just reached its 2,001st day of the birth 
of its permit, 2,001 days that this country has waited for our 
President to sign the permit allowing the construction of the Keystone 
pipeline.
  Why is the Keystone pipeline important to us? First of all, the 
Keystone pipeline brings oil from Canada into the United States to six 
of our refineries. This provides us a level of energy security that is 
absolutely necessary in today's world. In fact, when I talk about 
today's world, let's talk about current events for just 1 second here.
  This is a newspaper article that was just released a few hours ago:

       Retired General James Jones told the Senate Foreign 
     Relations Committee on Thursday that approving the pipeline 
     would send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and 
     other ``international bullies'' that they cannot use energy 
     security as a weapon.
       Jones said rejection of the Canada-to-Texas pipeline would 
     ``make Mr. Putin's day and strengthen his hand.''
       The Senate panel was holding its first hearing on the 
     pipeline 5 years after it was proposed as Democrats wrestle 
     with its impact on the outcome of next fall's election.

  The reality is, in a geopolitical sense, Russia is using energy as a 
new economic weapon to control the countries that it once dominated as 
the Soviet Union. We have a new energy--well, it is a renaissance. 
Because of new technologies and new abilities, we are finding oil and 
natural gas within our own borders; but if we can team up with Canada's 
oil in a North American oil pact, the reality is we will no longer be 
relying on Venezuela. In fact, the amount that comes through the 
pipeline, the proposed Keystone pipeline, would completely offset 
Venezuelan oil. It doesn't matter what your party registration is; I 
think all of us would agree that if we didn't have to rely on 
Venezuelan oil, that makes us a more secure country.
  Now, I want to talk about some of the other advantages besides just 
geopolitical. The first is 42,000 jobs. Now, I know a lot of the 
opponents to this pipeline say that it is a myth that it creates 42,000 
jobs, but the reality is that when you add the direct jobs--for 
example, the hundreds if not 1,000 people from Nebraska that would go 
to work on the pipeline as it comes through Montana, South Dakota, 
Nebraska, and Kansas--but what it also employs are all that we would 
call downstream, the downstream that would work on the refineries to 
upgrade them to be able to handle the additional oil and the oil that 
would come to them, and those refineries are in Texas, Louisiana, 
Oklahoma, and Kansas.
  But then we can look about, okay, what are all the other indirect 
jobs? For example, Mr. Griffin is going to talk about and mention a 
company in his district in Arkansas that actually fabricates, takes the 
steel that is hopefully made in America and fabricates it into the 
pipeline. So there are thousands of indirect jobs that rely on the 
construction.
  Now, when I am out and about, I hear all these myths that have been 
perpetuated on the Keystone pipeline, and I just want to bat a few of 
them down tonight.
  First of all, some of the environmental extremists that are opposing 
the Keystone pipeline tell people that it will increase CO2, 
or carbon, in our air. The reality is the environmental studies and the 
final study concluded that not only does it not increase carbon, but 
because it will transfer transportation of the oil from train and 
trucks to a zero-emission pipeline, it will actually reduce carbon 
output; because the reality is the carbon output to extract the oil 
from the oil sands is diminishing, and the reality is that oil, as it 
is pumped out or created there, will be used. So if you stop the 
Keystone pipeline, the reality is there will be more carbon emitted.
  In a recent meeting with the Canadian officials, they stressed to me 
that they are going ahead with their pipelines reversing the flow so 
that they can pump oil from the oil sands to the east coast of Canada 
and then will export it. Then they also have already accumulated all of 
the right-of-way necessary for a pipeline to the west and will build a 
second one to the west.
  What that means is that, okay, they used the pipeline, but now it 
goes on a ship and is sent to China, so we lose the opportunities 
except for what can be brought by train and truck into the United 
States and makes us less secure.
  Now, those are environmental studies that have done this. This is 
science. This is from reputable engineering firms in one of our 
national laboratories.
  One of the other myths is that this pipeline won't be safe, that 
there have been leaks in the first Keystone pipeline that is already 
carrying some of the oil over. The reality is there were leaks in the 
first Keystone pipeline. They were defective seals that have been 
replaced, and the leaks have stopped.
  Now, this pipeline has been studied safetywise more than any others. 
The liquid pipeline industry's safety performance initiative reflects 
these conclusions: first of all, that pipeline safety statistics 
deliver 99.999 percent of crude oil and petroleum products each year 
safely; 14 billion barrels of crude oil and petroleum products 
delivered in the pipeline in 2012; 62 percent decline in the number of 
pipeline releases since 2001; and 47 percent decline in the number of 
barrels released since 2001.

                              {time}  1915

  The reality is not only are pipelines becoming safer, but the 
pipeline, this Keystone pipeline has 59 special conditions placed upon 
it above all other pipelines. Most of these are to mitigate any risk of 
spilling or of a leak. If there is a leak, one of the other conditions 
is that they have to have people within a 2-hour drive to be able to 
stop that leak, thereby minimizing that leak.
  Now, there is another myth about it hurting the Ogallala aquifer. 
They said that hasn't been studied, but the reality is that 22,000 
pages of environmental studies that have been submitted to the State 
Department and made final clearly state that it has a minimal impact on 
the Ogallala aquifer. And when you read into the facts of the 
Ogallala--I learned something, growing up in Nebraska. We assumed that 
it was a big underground lake. What it is, it is a series of rock 
formations that capture water. So when you have a heavy crude, if it 
would leak, it is easier to pick up than a lighter crude or a gas. And 
because it is a rocky formation, it would trap it and not allow it to 
leak where they could get down there to where the leak was and be able 
to pump it out without further injuring the Ogallala aquifer. So the 
fact that it can pollute this huge underground lake that doesn't really 
exist all of the way down to Kansas is a myth, if you talk to the real 
geologists and the environmental folks, experts, in this area.
  Now, does the Keystone pipeline have an economic impact? Yes. It will 
have $2 billion worth of earnings throughout the U.S., property tax 
revenue, through the property taxes paid along the pipeline to the 
communities that will help schools and counties with their budgets.
  Now, one other thing that I hear once in a while is that Canadian oil 
sands are more dangerous or dirtier than other oils. The fact is that 
the U.S. currently imports 1.4 million barrels of this crude daily. 
Nearly all of it is transported by already existing pipelines or trucks 
or trains, and there has

[[Page H2418]]

not been a single recorded pipeline rupture caused by the oil sands. 
That is one of the other things--because of the chemical that they use 
to help it slide down the pipeline and be pumped, that somehow that 
weakens the pipeline, but that is just not true.
  Then I hear, and this is another one that is famous: the Keystone XL 
pipeline is going to increase gas prices. Well, first of all if you 
know economics, if you know oil economics, you go: Huh? How can that 
be? It just defies logic and defies common sense. The reality is that 
in a memo by the Department of Energy regarding Keystone XL, it 
asserted that the gasoline prices in all markets served, and this is 
the Department of Energy saying it, the Obama administration Department 
of Energy saying this, they asserted that gasoline prices in all 
markets served by refineries on the east coast and the gulf would 
decrease, including in the Midwest. The discount from WTI crude does 
not and has not translated into lower gasoline prices in the Midwest. 
This is because the Midwest must import gasoline from outside of the 
region, forcing buyers to pay global market prices. Bringing new 
pipeline capacity online would allow WTI to reconnect with other 
benchmark prices while simultaneously helping to drive down the price 
of oil and gasoline.
  This dovetails into my last myth, and that is all of this oil is just 
going to be exported anyway, so why risk any environmental issues in 
the United States if all it is going to be is put on ships and 
exported.
  That is just pure bull. That is an emotional argument that has no 
basis in truth. There are six refineries that are contracting for this 
oil to refine it into gasoline and other products. The United States 
uses gasoline. The gasoline that is refined from this product and those 
six refineries is going to stay in the United States.
  Can you say that 100 percent of every barrel is not going to be 
exported? No, because there are a variety of products made from a 
barrel of oil, including lubricants that are not even used in the 
United States but are used in other places. Those will be exported. 
Some of the diesel will be exported. But the reality is that the 
gasoline that we care about stays in the United States. It is just a 
fact that it will stay here. It just baffles me that people say that it 
is all going to be exported and it is going to raise gas prices, and 
none of it is true.
  At this time I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).
  Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the gentleman yielding. I 
rise today to discuss our country's energy future, and specifically the 
role of the Keystone XL pipeline.
  I am going to reiterate a little bit what the leader of this Special 
Order has already stated.
  Due to recently technological innovations, the United States is the 
number one producer of natural gas in the world today. That is hard to 
believe when you think about 20 years ago and what the naysayers were 
saying where we were going to be.
  In oil production, we are set to pass Saudi Arabia by the year 2020. 
This is a long way from the gas lines of the 1970s, when there were 
restrictions at gas stations on how many gallons you could buy or on 
what days you could buy gas. I can remember going to gas stations and 
you had a number on the end, and they said this is the number we are 
taking today. If you didn't have it, you weren't buying gas. But today, 
that has changed. It has changed.
  Today, we are on the cusp of a bright promising energy future where 
millions of jobs will be created because of it. We must ensure that the 
right policies are in place in order to realize our great energy 
potential. Again, that potential is there.
  The Energy and Commerce Committee has heard testimony and passed 
numerous pieces of legislation aimed at ensuring that America is on the 
right path to energy prosperity. One of the quickest solutions is to 
build the Keystone XL pipeline. Thanks to Mr. Terry's leadership on the 
Keystone XL pipeline, we passed a bill to approve it. The expansion of 
the pipeline will bring additional jobs, income, and investment into 
the United States. The project will produce up to 42,000 manufacturing, 
construction, and indirect jobs.
  In my home State of Ohio, the project is projected to bring 2,419 
jobs by 2015. These jobs will offer high wages, strong benefits, and a 
resurgence of America's hardworking taxpayers. The project will also 
produce approximately $20 billion in economic activity from food, 
lodging, construction equipment, supplies, and investments during the 
project development.
  In my home district, the Fifth District, I have visited companies 
that are going to be making equipment for drilling and parts for large 
machinery that will bring oil from the pipeline. Not too long ago, I 
was at one company that was very proud to tell me that they are going 
to be adding on to their company today because they are going to be 
making equipment that will be used in the pipeline in its construction.
  There is also a company that makes parts for the large machinery that 
will be operating up in Canada. Those are jobs in northwest Ohio, and 
those are the jobs that we want to keep. These are permanent jobs for 
people looking for good employment.
  In our committee hearings, we had one panel that was very 
interesting. At one end of the table we had a representative from 
TransCanada, and at the other end of the table we had an individual who 
was representing the trades, whose men and women will be actually 
building this pipeline. It was very hard for them to understand why we 
weren't going forward with this project today to put these people to 
work because these people are going to be working. They will make sure 
that they have roofs over their families' heads, food on the table, and 
will be saving money for their kids' education and putting money away 
for their own retirement.

  This pipeline is going to bring about 830,000 barrels of oil into the 
United States every day. We have a great friend and neighbor to the 
north, Canada. For every $1 we send to Canada, we will get about 90 
cents back. We send billions of dollars every year overseas for oil to 
some countries who aren't our greatest friends.
  As we speak, due to the President's foot dragging, Canada is studying 
an eastern route across her southern border that would bypass the 
United States and send her oil to her eastern ports to ship that oil 
some place else. What is wrong with this picture? They want to send it 
south, not east. Talk to them.
  Another point about the Keystone pipeline is that it is a $7 billion 
privately funded project. Once that oil would reach its destination in 
the United States, as Mr. Terry has already said, it will be refined 
into many products, putting Americans again to work.
  The pipeline is expected to generate more than $585 million in State 
and local taxes in the States the pipeline passes. I was a county 
commissioner for 6 years, and I know what that means to be putting back 
into local government.
  Approval of this energy project should not be controversial, but 
President Obama and his administration have made this commonsense, 
shovel-ready project a cornerstone of partisanship and needless delays. 
Two thousand days have passed since the Keystone XL pipeline 
application was filed. This pipeline has undergone more State and 
Federal assessment than any previous pipeline, and every assessment has 
come back to the same conclusion: that the pipeline will have minimal 
environmental impact. Further, the Keystone XL pipeline will be the 
most advanced pipeline in operation, using the most reliable materials 
and innovative technology. In fact, the pipeline will include 57 extra 
safety measures, which led the U.S. State Department to declare that 
the project would have a degree of safety over any other.
  Another benefit: the Keystone XL will provide additional capacity to 
our current pipeline infrastructure.
  Finally, again to point out what Mr. Terry has already said, that 
this is about our security, not just energy security, but our national 
security, because as Americans pick up their paper and look at the news 
in the evening and they see what is happening in Ukraine, people in 
Europe are fearful of what is going on because energy is being used as 
a weapon against them. We want to make sure that we are independent in 
this country. We want to make sure that Americans can go to bed every 
night and say we can take

[[Page H2419]]

care of ourselves, and we can take care of ourselves with oil from a 
country north of us who is one of our greatest friends and neighbors.
  This project has the support of the American people, the United 
States House and Senate, and it is time for the President to put jobs, 
community investment, and energy security before politics and approve 
this pipeline.
  I thank Mr. Terry for leading this very important energy Special 
Order tonight.
  Mr. TERRY. I thank the gentleman from Ohio.
  I think if there is someone watching C-SPAN and they watched the 
first hour, the Democratic hour, and now they are watching us, they are 
seeing how they advocated for unemployment insurance, and we are 
advocating for jobs. It is quite a stark difference in our philosophies 
showing on the House floor tonight.
  At this time I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Griffin).
  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
support once again for the immediate approval of the Keystone XL 
pipeline. I feel like I have been doing this year after year, calling 
for the President to move forward with the Keystone pipeline, and I 
realize I have been doing this year after year, pretty much since I got 
here in 2011.
  And every day, as the gentleman from Nebraska mentioned, every day 
there is another name added to the list of folks who say: You know 
what, this does make sense.
  When I look closely at the articles, I see that it is a former Obama 
administration official, and the next day, another former Obama 
administration official, and again and again and again. There was 
another one today, as the gentleman mentioned.
  Just a few weeks ago, more than 2 years after President Obama first 
rejected the Keystone pipeline and more than 5 years after the 
application to build it was first submitted to the State Department, 
the government's latest environmental analysis of the Keystone pipeline 
project was released.
  This analysis showed very clearly that this project will have little 
environmental impact, provide much-needed jobs, and contribute $3.4 
billion to our economy.
  What you have in this situation now is the President waiting for a 
report; the report comes out from his State Department. Waiting for 
another report, and then one comes out from the Academy of Sciences. If 
he keeps waiting, there are not going to be any reports left, and the 
only decision left will be his decision. That is really where we are.

                              {time}  1930

  Hardworking Americans are ready for a real, all-of-the-above energy 
strategy. The need for this is made more and more clear by what has 
been going on with Russia and Ukraine, but the Obama administration 
continues to block this critical infrastructure project and all the 
good-paying jobs it would create.
  I believe they are doing it for one reason and one reason only--
politics--because they have some extreme supporters that they want to 
keep relatively happy in an election year. That is what this is all 
about.
  Where I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, workers at a company called 
Welspun have manufactured hundreds of miles of pipe, but it is just 
sitting in a storage yard because the President refuses to let the 
Keystone XL pipeline be built.
  In fact, I was wondering whether there was still some out there, and 
we confirmed today there is still about 350 miles of pipe sitting out 
there in the yard.
  Last September, Dave Delie, the head of Welspun, testified to 
Congress that the Keystone XL project has so far employed more than 600 
Arkansans for over 1\1/2\ years at Welspun alone.
  Imagine how many other people could get paychecks, could have a job, 
for all the other work related to the pipeline, including construction 
work and operation of the pipeline. Americans are looking for work 
right now. They have waited long enough. It is time to build this 
pipeline.
  I understand that folks--some folks--are worried about protecting the 
environment and making sure our families and children have clean water 
to drink. I am too, so let's not argue over settled science.
  Research released last year from the National Academy of Sciences 
concludes that the oil sands crude Keystone will transport is no more 
corrosive than other crude oils and does not increase the risk of 
leaks.
  We all saw what happened when a train carrying oil in Canada derailed 
last July. Most of an entire town was obliterated, and nearly 50 people 
were killed. That was tragic and devastating.
  We know that pipelines are safer. We know this. The solution is 
clear. We need to improve and modernize our pipeline infrastructure, 
and the Keystone XL project will include over 50 additional safety 
measures.
  President Obama and Secretary Kerry should do the right thing for our 
environment and the right thing for American workers. Let's create 
jobs. Let's build Keystone now.
  Mr. TERRY. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas.
  At this time, I want to yield to our friend from New Jersey (Mr. 
Lance).
  Mr. LANCE. Thank you, Mr. Terry, and thank you for your leadership on 
this issue. I am honored to serve on the subcommittee that you chair.
  The discussion this evening has been on unemployment insurance, and 
that is a worthy discussion. Almost all Americans want to work. The 
best way for Americans to work is for jobs to be created. The 
unemployment rate in this country is far too high and the labor 
participation rate in this country is at a 30-year low.
  To those of us who are concerned particularly about the labor 
participation rate, the best way to get that rate up and to have jobs 
created is to create jobs, and that is what the Keystone pipeline will 
do.
  Like many Americans and, certainly, like many Americans whom I 
represent in north/central New Jersey, I have been incredibly 
frustrated by the repeated and unnecessary delays in moving forward 
with the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
  As Chairman Terry has pointed out, it has been more than 2,000 days 
since TransCanada filed its first application to build Keystone. This 
is a disappointing milestone for this important economic and energy 
project.
  2,000 days is a long time, and not making a decision is making a 
decision. It is making a negative decision. The people of the United 
States deserve a decision to be made and, in my judgment, deserve an 
affirmative decision.
  We, of course, have passed legislation in this regard. I am very 
proud of the Energy and Commerce Committee on which Mr. Terry and I 
serve. American-made energy production is one of the few bright spots 
in today's struggling U.S. economy.
  This is due to a series of factors, and of course, our abundance of 
American gas is at the heart of that. As innovation leads to greater 
production, the Energy and Commerce Committee, under the leadership of 
Chairman Fred Upton and of the united effort of those of us on the 
Republican side, we have been working together to pass measures that 
will bring increased American-made energy to consumers and businesses.
  The Keystone XL pipeline is an important piece of our all-of-the-
above energy policy strategy, and we believe--and I think this is 
demonstrated conclusively--that this will help lower energy costs, 
create jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil.
  Foreign sources of oil, of course, come from dangerous parts of the 
world, not only the Middle East, but Venezuela as well. We need to be 
less dependent on foreign sources of oil, and that is why we have 
promoted the all-of-the-above strategy.
  Those who have opposed the Keystone project cite environmental 
concerns. I certainly respect environmental concerns. I try to be a 
strong environmentalist, and I know my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle try to be strong environmentalists.
  The U.S. State Department report regarding environmental concerns 
related to Keystone found that the project would have a minimal 
negative impact on the environment. I believe that we should look at 
the science and what has been demonstrated, that this would not 
negatively affect the environment in any meaningful way.

[[Page H2420]]

  The State Department report also outlined some of the other benefits 
that would come with the project--as Chairman Terry has pointed out--
42,000 direct and indirect jobs, this at a time when our economy needs 
to have more in the workforce, so that we can rely less heavily on 
unemployment insurance, rely more heavily on getting Americans back to 
work, and make sure that our labor participation rate increases.

  The report also indicates that there would be 3,900 construction 
jobs. These are high-paying jobs. This is what America should really be 
about: construction, making things. That has been the history of 
America, certainly in most parts of this country.
  This would be of enormous benefit not only to the center of the 
country, but, in my judgment, to the entire country. Of course, the 
report also says that there is an estimated $3.4 billion in a boost to 
our economy.
  I was interested to read the testimony today of General James Jones, 
the distinguished former National Security Adviser to President Obama. 
He came out in favor of the Keystone pipeline today, as has been 
referenced by Chairman Terry and by my distinguished colleague from 
Arkansas, and I am sure by others who will speak this evening.
  General Jones has had a distinguished career in service to the United 
States of America, a career regarding our national security.
  There are national security concerns, Chairman Terry, regarding the 
Keystone pipeline. Canada is one of our best friends. Canada has stood 
with us. We can recall all of the times in the past where Canadians 
have come to help the United States.
  Recently, in Mexico, there was a summit among the Prime Minister of 
Canada, the President of Mexico, and the President of the United 
States. Certainly, the Prime Minister of Canada favors the construction 
of Keystone. That is one of the many reasons that we should move 
forward with Keystone.
  Most important of all is our own national security, our own creation 
of jobs, but also we should be a friend to Canada as Canada has been a 
friend to us. If we do not build it, then, of course, the Canadians 
might look elsewhere. They might turn east to China, yet another reason 
to build Keystone.
  Of course, the situation that now exists regarding Russia and its 
terrible actions involving the Crimea and perhaps even other parts of 
Ukraine, yet another reason, in my judgment, to build Keystone.
  After enduring more than 5 years of review of red tape and of delay, 
I do not believe there is any reason left for President Obama not to 
approve Keystone XL and to approve it immediately.
  I would urge the President, in all sincerity, to examine what is best 
in the interest of the United States, to examine what is best in the 
interest of making sure that we move forward together.
  It is time to create U.S. jobs from this aspect of energy. It is time 
to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil from unstable sources. It is 
time to build the Keystone pipeline, long past time.
  Mr. Terry, I commend your leadership this evening.
  Mr. TERRY. Thank you. It was about a year ago this time that H.R. 3, 
one of our leadership bills, came through our Energy and Commerce 
Committee that would have permitted the Keystone pipeline passed 
overwhelmingly with bipartisan support in this Chamber.
  It has been sitting on Senator Reid's desk for over a year now--
42,000 jobs that could be created collecting dust.
  I yield to our friend from Virginia, Mr. Morgan Griffith. If you 
would give us your thoughts on the Keystone pipeline?
  Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Well, I have to tell you, first of all, I 
appreciate your leadership on this. Ever since I got to Congress 4 
years ago, this has been an important item for you, not just because it 
will help the United States, not just because it will help your 
district, but because it is the right thing to do.
  I commend you for that hard work that you have been doing and will 
continue to do until this project is actually approved. I hope that 
will be sooner than later.
  It would be nice if our bill that we had passed with bipartisan 
support would have action taken on it by the Senate. I don't know how 
the good Senator sits down with all those bills in his back pocket. He 
has got a lot of our good bills back there.
  Mr. TERRY. We in the House have passed about 430 bills. 89 of them 
actually gotten out of the Senate. Well over about 100, I guess--maybe 
even more than 100--actually are like the Keystone pipeline, that would 
create--immediately create jobs, but yet they are sitting on a desk.
  Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. That is what we need in this country. We 
need opportunities. We need abilities. Bottom line, we need policies 
that will create jobs. I have got to tell you that one of the favorite 
things that I do as a United States Congressman is I go to the high 
schools in my district, and I talk with the students.
  Sometimes, it is middle school students. Most of the time, it is 
senior high students. I talk to them, and I talk about how the 
decisions that we are making in Washington and the policies that we set 
here in the Nation's Capital will affect them far more than they affect 
me because, long-term, when you look at the debt and the deficit and 
you look at the effects on our health care system that have been coming 
down with various policies, these will all have a greater impact on 
them than they will on us.
  Particularly talking about debt and deficit, I will often say to 
them: Well, who do you think is going to pay more of that, me at 55 or 
you at 17 or 18?
  They get it real quick. One of the things I always make sure I try to 
put into the question and answer process as I am talking with the 
students is this: the United States of America is a great country. We 
are the number one economic nation. There are a lot of other countries 
out there that would like to be the number one economic nation.
  While things do not look good in the short run, if those of us in 
Washington, including the President of the United States and the Senate 
and the House, make the right policies and have a true all-of-the-above 
energy policy for this country, we can be the number one economic 
nation, not just for the next decade, not just for the next 20 years, 
but I submit to you for the next 100 years.

                              {time}  1945

  That's a big deal.
  That means jobs and prosperity for the people of the United States 
for a long, long time. Then I say, but if we make mistakes in 
Washington--if we don't have a true all-of-the-above policy where we 
use North American oil, natural gas, coal, wind, solar, nuclear, across 
the board--we can slip out of that number one spot, and we won't have 
the advantages that the number one economic nation has had throughout 
history, and I always mention the Keystone XL pipeline. The reason I 
mention the Keystone XL pipeline is that it sends a message to the 
world that the United States is open for business, that we want jobs in 
this country.
  We can send those jobs to China if we want, like we have done in so 
many other areas, but we want those jobs. We want the jobs in laying 
the pipeline. We want the jobs in doing the refining. We want the jobs 
that come from having that extra supply right here in our country, 
whether it be the oil or the gas that is produced from this oil or 
whether it be the chemicals that we can make cheaper because we have an 
abundant supply in North American oil.
  It is true, as my colleagues have said, that we also want to make 
sure that we send a message to the world that we are going to stand 
with our friends in Canada. As the general said today, a former Obama 
adviser: Let's send a message to Vladimir Putin.
  These are all combined in the Keystone XL pipeline, and when you have 
the reports on the environment that indicate minimal effect--in fact, 
some would argue that there may even be positive effects by the 
pipeline because you don't have to worry about the train system--then 
what you have got is the situation of ``why?'' Why would the President, 
with all of the reports and with the 2,000 days of study and jumping 
through hoops, not have already signed it? I am surprised he is not 
having a press conference as we speak to sign the Keystone XL pipeline. 
Let's get on with it.
  I had one person tell me today that he believes that this is better 
than the

[[Page H2421]]

oil that we are importing from Venezuela because it has a less negative 
impact on the environment, our using this oil from Canada, and the 
Canadians are working to make their process even better so that it has 
less of an impact on the environment.
  So I thank you, Mr. Terry, for all of your hard work. If you can 
explain it to me, I would love to hear it, but I can't explain to the 
high school students in the Ninth District of Virginia why we are not 
pursuing the Keystone XL pipeline with haste instead of with delay when 
we know that it will create jobs for American citizens and for people 
like these high school students will be in a few years when they finish 
their educations.
  Mr. TERRY. I am baffled, too, so I appreciate your comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to sum up here:
  2,001 days since the permit for this pipeline was filed and over 
22,000 pages of scientific review. This permit has been sitting around 
longer than it took the United States to win World War II. This permit 
has been here longer than it took Lewis and Clark to explore the 
Louisiana Purchase and come back. Eleven Federal agencies have 
participated in reviewing the Keystone pipeline--11 Federal agencies on 
top of the scientific studies. Every State in which the proposed 
Keystone pipeline route goes through has approved the pipeline and has 
independently reviewed it.
  Six weeks ago, the President, right behind my right shoulder here, 
said that he would take out his phone and his pen and would act.
  Mr. President, tonight, we ask you to pick up your phone. Call Prime 
Minister Harper and tell him, Yes, I am ready to sign the permit. Then 
take out your permit, sign it, and let's get 42,000 people back to 
work.
  Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Terry, even though I believe I know the 
answer to this question, I would just ask you: If the President needs a 
pen to sign that, would you take it down to him on Pennsylvania Avenue?
  Mr. TERRY. I have got an extra one, and I will let him keep it.
  Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. There you go.
  Mr. TERRY. I would even let him keep it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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