[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 102 (Monday, June 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3301) to 
     require approval for the construction, connection, operation, 
     or maintenance of oil or natural gas pipelines or electric 
     transmission facilities at the national boundary of the 
     United States for the import or export of oil, natural gas, 
     or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3301, which 
would dramatically weaken the public input and environmental review 
process for cross-border pipelines.
  Cross-border pipelines can be enormously complex projects, spanning 
hundreds of miles and operating for decades. The bill before us today 
would limit environmental review of these projects to the narrow 
segment that actually crosses the border, preventing analysis of the 
full scope of impacts on private property, public safety, and water 
quality. And it would exempt modifications to existing pipelines from 
any federal review, so a pipeline's capacity could be increased 
significantly, its contents could be changed, or its flow could be 
reversed without any discussion of the impacts of those decisions.
  Moreover, this bill opens the door to unlimited natural gas exports 
by lifting all restrictions on exports to Canada or Mexico. Those 
exports could then be shipped anywhere in the world without approval or 
review of impacts on domestic energy prices. A number of American 
manufacturers have expressed concern about unchecked LNG exports 
raising their costs of doing business and increasing the price of 
consumer goods.
  Once again, we have a bill on the floor of this House that limits 
public comment and short-circuits the cost-benefit analysis. While we 
all want these reviews to operate efficiently, we should not place 
arbitrary restrictions that fail to give regulators enough information 
to make a responsible decision. I urge a no vote.

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