[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19840]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     APPROVE THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE

  (Mr. LANKFORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANKFORD. Millions of Americans are jobless. In response, the 
House of Representatives has passed more than 20 jobs bills.
  This past July, the North American-Made Energy Security Act urged 
President Obama to issue a final permitting decision on the Keystone 
pipeline, which will connect Canada's rich oil sands to the U.S. 
refineries along the gulf coast.
  Our dependence on Middle East oil is a security and economic 
challenge that we must overcome.
  The proposed pipeline would consist of over 1,700 miles capable of 
delivering more than half a million barrels of crude oil each day. In 
my home State of Oklahoma, this pipeline project is expected to add 
$1.2 billion in economic impact.
  This pipeline presents a unique chance for America to truly cull back 
our precarious dependence on Middle East oil while also adding 
tremendous economic activity to our stagnant economy.
  In early November of this year, the Obama administration made an 
unacceptable political decision to punt the approval of the Keystone 
pipeline until after the Presidential election. A few weeks ago, I 
formally asked the Secretary of State to at least approve the southern 
route of the pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma, to the gulf. Our country 
has waited for Presidential approval for 3 years.

                          ____________________