[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 97 (Friday, June 20, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5594-H5595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hudson). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. WOODALL. Mr. Speaker, it is a big burden of responsibility being 
the designee of the majority leader because there are issues on which 
this Congress can lead.
  I am not talking about issues about which this Congress can fight. I 
am talking about issues on which this Congress can lead, things that we 
can do together in order to make a difference in the lives of folks 
back home, and for me, one of those is energy security.
  I travel from one corner of the State of Georgia to another. I go 
through liberal districts and conservative districts. I ask: Who is it 
that wants to keep sending money to people who hate us and want to kill 
us?
  There aren't many hands that go up in the room.
  I ask: Who is it who wants to see economic prosperity traded away 
because energy prices are crushing job creation?
  Absolutely no hands go up.
  I am perfectly willing, as soon as we get to energy security, Mr. 
Speaker, as soon as we get to a place where we are energy secure in 
this country, I am willing to talk about what the mix of that energy 
is. All folks want to.
  I am trying to do my part. I drive an electric car. I have been 
persuaded in those ways, and those Federal tax credits don't hurt, 
either, but we need job creation. We are energy rich in this country, 
and we need to be able to use that energy in order to make a difference 
in people's lives.
  That brings us, Mr. Speaker, to the Keystone pipeline--the Keystone 
XL pipeline. I am sure it is the same in your district, Mr. Speaker, as 
it is in mine. I can't go anywhere in my district where folks don't 
know about the Keystone XL pipeline.
  There are dozens upon dozens upon dozens of pipelines running between 
America and Canada--not one, not two, not three, not four--dozens upon 
dozens upon dozens upon dozens. But I promise you, if we took a poll 
out on the steps of the U.S. Capitol this morning, Americans could not 
name a single pipeline that runs north and south except for Keystone 
XL. Why? Because we have been arguing about it for years--not days, not 
weeks, not months--but years.
  You can't see my slides, Mr. Speaker. This one is sunshine and 
rainbows. It is a lot like what our life is like here on Capitol Hill. 
Every day it is butterflies and clover. It is absolutely beautiful. And 
it says this--it says: ``Should America prevent Canada's oil resources 
from being used?'' Because the way the Keystone XL pipeline 
conversation happens, it is framed as if we don't build the pipeline, 
that means those resources don't get used.

  But that is just nonsense. That is a story of sunshine and rainbows. 
That is a fairytale of butterflies and clover, because if we don't do 
it and bring those resources to America, those resources are going to 
go elsewhere.
  Now, I know what you are thinking, Mr. Speaker. You are thinking, for 
Pete's sakes, Woodall, you have only been in this House for 3 years, 
you are not an energy expert. How do you know?
  Well, I don't have to make this stuff up, Mr. Speaker. Take your 
pick. Who is the media outlet that you believe? Is it Bloomberg? 
Because Bloomberg says: ``Obama's Keystone Denial Prompts Canada to 
Look to China for Sales.'' It is not a choice of, should Canada develop 
those resources or not? It is a choice of when Canada develops those 
resources, should it be used to benefit America and the American 
economy, or should it be shipped overseas?
  Don't trust Bloomberg, Mr. Speaker? That is okay. We have got The 
Week here: ``Did Obama Push Canada Into China's Arms By Rejecting the 
Keystone Pipeline?''
  Well, maybe you think these are all American sources and so they are 
all biased, Mr. Speaker. That is okay. I have got the BBC here. The BBC 
says: ``Oil Spurs Canada's PM, Stephen Harper, to Visit China.'' 
National Journal: ``Ambassador Rejection of Keystone Would Definitely 
Strain U.S.-Canada Relations.'' The Ledger says: ``Canada: Harper Looks 
to Asian Countries to Sell Natural Resources Bounty.''

                              {time}  1300

  The question that we have about the Keystone pipeline, Mr. Speaker, 
is not should Canada's resources be developed; the question is when 
Canada's resources are developed, who should benefit? Should we benefit 
here in America, or will those benefits flow overseas?
  Well, let's find out what the American media has to say about that. 
Now, I am just starting with the American media because you know as 
well as I do that the American media is not the end all be all of 
common sense in this country, but occasionally they hit it right on the 
mark. The Washington Post, no bastion of conservatism--it is not a 
shill for the Republican Party; it is not out to promote some sort of a 
conservative agenda--The Washington Post says:

       Keystone XL's continued delay is absurd.

  I am not cherry picking here. This was just April of this year. They 
have been saying it for years. They are still saying it now:

       Keystone XL's continued delay is absurd.

  What about President Obama's hometown newspaper? The Chicago Tribune 
is not silent on this. The Chicago Tribune, also in April of this 
year--and why April of this year? Because that is the most recent 
opportunity the President had to make a difference in the lives of 
Americans, and he continued denial and delay. The Chicago Tribune says:

       The delay is bad for Americans who would like to have a 
     job.

  ``Bad for Americans who would like to have a job.'' How many times 
have we come to this Chamber, packed every seat in this Chamber to talk 
about the importance of the economy and job creation? It is not once. 
It is not twice. It is daily, Mr. Speaker, that folks on both sides of 
the aisle say it is jobs, jobs, jobs. The President's hometown paper 
says his continued delay is bad for Americans who would like to have 
jobs.
  When I think about folks who really could use some of those jobs, I 
think about Detroit, Mr. Speaker. Detroit has had a hard time. The 
people of Detroit are incredibly resilient. They are not quitters. They 
are not going to give up, but they have had a tough time. The Detroit 
News says:

       Once again, politics trump Keystone XL. With environmental 
     risks put aside, political motives delay shovel-ready project 
     that could create thousands of jobs.

  Those are not my words. Those are the words of the Detroit News. 
``Politics trump . . . With environmental risks put aside''--solved, 
mitigated, dismissed--``political motives delay shovel-ready project 
that could create thousands of jobs.'' Mr. Speaker, delay, denial, its 
motivation may be political, but its impact is more personal.
  Let me go on, Mr. Speaker, to what the President's own team has to 
say. And by ``own team,'' I mean the folks across the aisle in the 
United States Senate--not just folks on the other side of the Capitol, 
but folks on the other side of the political party, because energy 
security is not a partisan issue. It shouldn't be. Energy security and 
job creation, not a partisan issue. Bringing Canada's natural resources 
to the place with the toughest environmental controls on the planet, 
not a political issue, just good common sense.
  I go to my Senate colleagues and my Senate Democratic colleagues now, 
Mr. Speaker. The Senator from North Dakota:

       It is absolutely ridiculous that this well over 5-year-long 
     process is continuing for an undetermined amount of time.


[[Page H5595]]


  Again, I didn't have to dig back into the history books for these 
quotes, Mr. Speaker. This comes from April of this year, the last time 
the President had an opportunity to move America forward with energy 
security, move America forward with job creation, and provide certainty 
to our friends to the north, Canada, as they try to utilize their 
natural resources. The Democratic Senator from North Dakota said 
``absolutely ridiculous.''
  Senator Mary Landrieu, the Senator from Louisiana, also a Democrat:

       This decision is unnecessary and unacceptable.

  Mr. Speaker, I don't mean to trot out all of the Senators and all the 
Democrats, except that I happen to be a House Member and I happen to be 
a Republican. And so I could understand if someone were to point the 
finger of blame and say: The only reason you share these positions, 
Congressman Woodall, is because you are a conservative Republican, and 
this is not good for America; this is just conservative Republican 
mantra.
  We all know that is nonsense. It is not conservative. It is not 
liberal. It is not Democrat. It is not Republican. It is American. It 
is economic. It is about security.
  I will go one more, Mr. Speaker. Senator Mark Begich from Alaska:

       I am, frankly, appalled at the continued foot-dragging by 
     this administration on the Keystone project.

  North Dakota, which would be a competitor--North Dakota has lots of 
economic resources there, lots of choices they can make, ``absolutely 
ridiculous.'' Democrat from Louisiana, ``unnecessary and 
unacceptable.'' Democrat from Alaska, ``appalled at the continued foot-
dragging.''
  So why can't we move forward? I don't know what the agenda is at the 
White House that has caused the 5-year delay that the North Dakota 
Senator calls ridiculous. I don't know what it is at the White House 
that has caused the delay that folks call appalling and unacceptable, 
but we have an opportunity to come together and do this.
  We focus so often in this town on issues that divide us. This is an 
issue that unites us, and it unites us not just across party lines, not 
just across Chambers back and forth, but also across the divide of 
politics.
  I have labor unions here on the board, Mr. Speaker, because sometimes 
folks say, and I hear it back home from time to time, they say: Rob, it 
is probably some of those special interest groups. It is those special 
interest groups that are preventing the President from doing what he 
wants to do. You know, those special interest groups have so much power 
in Washington, D.C. They are always changing things.
  Terry O'Sullivan, union president, said, ``This is once again 
politics at its worst,'' condemning the decision not to move forward on 
the Keystone XL pipeline. Again, not from 5 years ago, not 4 years ago, 
not 3 years ago, just this year, Mr. Speaker, folks continue to be 
frustrated.
  Sean McGarvey, union president:

       Firstly, it is unbelievable to me why this project is 
     allowed to linger while our Nation's economy struggles to get 
     back on track.

  Mr. Speaker, there is no choice that says prohibit Canada from 
developing their resources. There is no choice that prevents Canada 
from developing their resources. The question is, once developed, who 
benefits? If you don't believe that, Mr. Speaker, I encourage you to go 
look at the Energy Information Agency's Web site, eia.gov. They track 
all of the energy use in this country, energy production and energy 
costs, and what you see is as the war on coal has continued at the 
White House, is that coal consumption in America is on a steady 
downward slope. You declare war on coal, you use your phone and your 
pen to prohibit folks from using coal, making it economically 
unsustainable to use coal, you can absolutely collapse coal consumption 
in America. We are the Saudi Arabia of coal. We have more coal than any 
other nation on the planet. The White House absolutely can commit 
itself to unilaterally disarming America when it comes to energy 
security, declaring a war on coal.
  But if you go to the EIA Web site, the Obama administration Web site, 
Energy Information Agency, what you will see is, while those 
regulations have absolutely collapsed U.S. consumption of coal, U.S. 
exports of coal are going right through the roof. Mr. Speaker, you 
don't have to look far to find out that India and China are building 
new coal-fired power plants at the rate of four per week--four per 
week.
  Now, I want you to find the absolute greenest person in your 
district, Mr. Speaker. I want you to find that person who bleeds green, 
biggest environmentalist you can find, Mr. Speaker, and I want you to 
ask him, when it comes to burning coal, when it comes to burning oil, 
when it comes to using America's fossil fuels, the world's fossil 
fuels, who is going to burn it cleaner, America, China, or India? 
Because if the discussion we are having, Mr. Speaker, is how do we 
protect the planet that we all share, how do we nurture the environment 
for which we are concerned, the answer is to make sure those resources 
are utilized here.
  If you want to export something, export clean-burning natural gas. It 
will be tougher for folks to screw that up around the globe. The 
environment is a global environment, and if you care about doing things 
in the safest possible way, shipping coal to China or India for 
consumption is not the right answer.
  Billions of dollars are invested in pollution controls on power 
plants across this country, Mr. Speaker. We will burn it cleaner and 
better than anyone else on the planet, and yet the regulatory 
environment is driving that consumption overseas. It is bad for the 
environment, not good for the environment.
  The Keystone XL pipeline, Mr. Speaker, ``politics at its worst,'' say 
the labor unions. ``Unbelievable,'' say the labor unions. ``Absolutely 
ridiculous,'' says a Democratic Senator. ``Unacceptable,'' says a 
Democratic Senator. ``Appalled,'' says a Democratic Senator, and the 
list goes on and on.
  Mr. Speaker, I don't know what you find in your district. My district 
wants us to stop figuring out who to blame for it and start figuring 
out how to fix it. My district wants us to focus on those things that 
we can do together that will make a difference in people's lives back 
home. My constituents believe it really is jobs, jobs, jobs, not as a 
political tag line but as a mission statement for how to make America's 
economy great once again.
  The Keystone XL pipeline is supported by the left and by the right, 
by the House and by the Senate, by the media and by the interest 
groups. The only place it cannot find support is in the west wing of 
the United States White House.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that the President will listen to the American 
people; I believe that the President does want to make this country 
strong; and I believe, if constituents in each one of our districts 
across this country apply their collective pressure to the White House, 
that it will respond. I have to believe that because that is the only 
way America works. It is the only way America works.
  Commentator after commentator after commentator says the Keystone XL 
delay is politics at its worse. Commentator after commentator after 
commentator says delay is costing American families much-needed jobs.
  We can do better for the American people, Mr. Speaker. We must do 
better for the American people. Working together, I think we can 
convince the White House of that message, but that process begins right 
here.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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