[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 81 (Thursday, May 12, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2491-S2492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-138. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of 
     the State of Wisconsin recognizing the importance of oil and 
     natural gas pipelines for Wisconsin and its economy; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                     Senate Joint Resolution No. 90

       Whereas, the State of Wisconsin relies on, and will 
     continue to rely on for many years, natural gas, gasoline, 
     diesel jet fuel, and other products, and in order to fuel our 
     economy, the State of Wisconsin will need more natural gas 
     and oil while also requiring additional alternative enrgy 
     sources; and
       Whereas, pipelines transport energy safely through energy 
     highways, taking natural gas, oil, and petroleum products 
     over vast distances from often remote locations to the 
     populated places where we need the products; and
       Whereas, 97 percent of the Canadian natural gas and oil 
     used in the United States is delivered by pipelines, and in 
     the U.S., pipelines deliver 66 percent of crude oil and 
     refined products and almost all natural gas; and
       Whereas, Wisconsin's agriculture industry is an economic 
     driver, contributing $104.8 billion annually to the state's 
     economy in 2017 and supporting 435,700 jobs, 11.8 percent of 
     the state's employment; over half of the direct energy used 
     in crop and livestock production comes from distillate fuel; 
     and in 2019, Wisconsin farmers consumed over 113 million 
     gallons of distillate fuel; and
       Whereas, Wisconsin's agriculture industry also depends on 
     petroleum fuels to transport

[[Page S2492]]

     agricultural goods from farm to processor to market, with 
     Wisconsin exporting more than $3.37 billion of agricultural 
     and food products in 2020 to 145 countries; now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the 
     members of the Wisconsin State Legislature support continued 
     and increased development and delivery of oil derived from 
     North American oil reserves to American refineries; and, be 
     it further
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the legislature that 
     everything should be done to support continued and increased 
     development and delivery of oil from Canada to the United 
     States and support the development, maintenance and operation 
     of pipelines in the United States to ensure America's energy 
     independence, improve our national security and enhance 
     global stability, reduce consumer energy costs, create new 
     jobs, and strengthen ties between the United States and 
     Canada; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the chief clerk of the senate is hereby 
     directed to transmit duly authenticated copies of this 
     resolution to the Speaker and Clerk of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of 
     the U.S. Senate, the members of the Wisconsin congressional 
     delegation, and to the news media of Wisconsin.
                                  ____

       POM-139. A joint resolution adopted by the General Assembly 
     of the State of Tennessee urging the President of the United 
     States and the United States Congress to utilize all 
     available options to effect the full removal of Russian 
     financial institutions from SWIFT as an appropriate and 
     effective sanction against against Russia's invasion of 
     Ukraine; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

                    Senate Joint Resolution No. 1147

       Whereas, Russia's heinous, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine 
     has brought death and despair to the Ukrainian people and 
     threatened the peace and security of Europe; and
       Whereas, many Western nations, including the United States, 
     have imposed sanctions against Russian banks, but in the face 
     of this blatant warmongering, the ``nuclear option'' of 
     banking, the full removal of Russian banks from international 
     finance infrastructure, should be invoked; and
       Whereas, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial 
     Telecommunication (SWIFT) was founded in 1973 to replace the 
     telex and is now used by more than 11,000 financial 
     institutions to send secure messages and payment orders; 
     because there is no globally accepted alternative, SWIFT is 
     essential infrastructure for global finance; and
       Whereas, fully removing Russia from SWIFT would make it 
     nearly impossible for financial institutions to transfer 
     money in or out of the country, delivering a sudden shock to 
     Russian companies and their foreign customers, especially 
     buyers of oil and gas exports denominated in U.S. dollars; 
     and
       Whereas, according to experts, fully excluding Russia from 
     SWIFT would terminate all international transactions, trigger 
     currency volatility, cause massive capital outflows, and 
     result in the Russian economy shrinking by an estimated five 
     percent; and
       Whereas, there is precedent for banning from SWIFT a nation 
     that has thumbed its nose at the European Union; Iranian 
     banks were disconnected from SWIFT in 2012 after they were 
     sanctioned by the European Union over the country's nuclear 
     program; and
       Whereas, the efficacy of such sanctions was proven when 
     Iran lost almost half of its oil export revenue and thirty 
     percent of its foreign trade following the disconnection; and
       Whereas, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine has urged that 
     Russia be banned from SWIFT, and we agree that this is an 
     appropriate response to the nation's cynical attack on 
     Ukraine's sovereignty and the future peace and prosperity of 
     Europe and all of Western democracy; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate of the One Hundred Twelfth General 
     Assembly of the State of Tennessee, the House of 
     Representatives Concurring, That we urge and encourage 
     President Biden and the United States Congress to utilize all 
     available options to effect the full removal of Russian 
     financial institutions from SWIFT as an appropriate and 
     effective sanction against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Be 
     it further
       Resolved, that we urge and encourage President Biden to 
     immediately expel from the United States all Russian 
     diplomatic personnel. Be it further
       Resolved, that we urge and encourage President Biden and 
     the United States Congress to immediately ban all imports 
     from Russia. Be it further
       Resolved, that a certified copy of this resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States; the 
     Speaker and the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives; 
     the President and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate; and each 
     member of Tennessee's Congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-140. A communication from the House of Representatives 
     of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico submitting the first 
     partial report on House Resolution No. 446 and requesting its 
     approval; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                          ____________________