[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 215 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REINTRODUCTION OF H.R. 8768, THE ``KEEPING AMERICA'S ENERGY RESOURCES 
                              MOVING ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. RANDY K. WEBER, SR.

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 18, 2020

  Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today, with my fellow 
Texan, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, to bring attention to my bill, H.R. 
8768, the ``Keeping America's Energy Resources Moving Act,'' a bill 
that would solve a thorny issue that has arisen in the U.S. lightering 
industry, and which affects our nation's energy independence and our 
national security. A bipartisan group of House members have worked with 
the House Judiciary Committee, the State Department, and Customs and 
Border Protection to raise awareness of this critical problem and to 
identify a solution acceptable to the House, executive agencies, and 
industry groups. I am grateful for the considerable work put in by my 
congressional colleagues, the House Judiciary Staff, and affected 
industry groups to craft this legislative fix, and I hope that the 
House will act soon to make it law.
  For those who do not know, lightering is the use of ``lighter'' 
vessel to load and off load crude oil and natural gas from very large 
tanker ships whose draft is too deep to access U.S. port facilities. 
Lightering vessels and the seafarers who work onboard these vessels are 
key to supporting and maintaining our domestic energy exports and 
ensuring imports of needed crude oil as feedstock for our domestic 
refiners along the Gulf Coast, in Southern California, and in Delaware. 
That is why the industry is vital to the transport of crude oil and 
natural gas both in and out of our domestic ports, the lifeblood of the 
American energy and petrochemical industries. This industry quietly 
forms the connective tissue that has enabled American energy to power 
the world. Without the ability to ensure that lightering can take 
place, there could be crude oil shortages for U.S. refineries resulting 
in the lack of production of gasoline for our cars, jet fuel for our 
planes, and heating oil to heat U.S. homes in the winter. It is just 
that simple.
  The problem in question stems from the disconnect between the visas 
that seafarers rely upon and the necessities of the employment 
contracts of lightering crews. These seafarers must transit through a 
U.S. port of entry and remain on board their vessels operating in and 
out of U.S. waters for up to 180 days in order to perform their tasks 
as part of a lightering vessel crew, but, under current law, they can 
only remain for 29 days without being granted parole by Customs and 
Border Protection--a cumbersome administrative process allowed under 
U.S. law but one we should not have to rely upon. A fix is needed to 
replace this band-aid approach. By providing statutory authorization 
for liquid lightering crewmembers to transit the United States for up 
to 180 days, this bill will streamline a cumbersome multi-agency 
process and ensure that the domestic energy production and refining 
capacity that underlines our economy and national security can 
continue. For this reason, and this reason alone, we introduced 
legislation to solve this problem and provide certainty to this 
industry, and thus to our economy.
  Unfortunately, we are now in the closing days of the 116th Congress 
and have run out of time to enact this technical, but necessary, 
legislative fix. Therefore, I plan to reintroduce our bipartisan bill, 
the ``Keeping America's Energy Resources Moving Act,'' in the opening 
days of the 117th Congress, and I remain committed to solving this 
problem then.

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