[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               KEYSTONE XL WILL HELP LOWER UTILITY RATES

  (Mr. DAINES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DAINES. Mr. Speaker, last week, I was home in Montana to 
highlight the important role that natural resources play in our State's 
economy. In fact, I put 3,000 miles in traveling around our great 
State. One question I was asked repeatedly was: When will the Keystone 
pipeline be approved?
  We all know the tremendous economic impact the Keystone pipeline 
would have and the jobs that would be created; but when I was in 
Glasgow, Montana, I learned of a relatively unknown benefit as a result 
of the pipeline.
  You see, NorVal Electric Co-Op in Glasgow is slated to supply 
electricity to one of the Keystone XL pump stations. If the pipeline is 
built, this rural electric co-op will be able to spread its cost 
burdens with the pipeline and, consequently, hold rates steady for its 
3,000-plus Montana customers. If the pipeline is not approved, it told 
me that NorVal customers will see upwards of a 40-percent increase in 
their utility rates over the next 10 years.
  As I've said time and time again, this is common sense. Keystone 
means jobs; it means another step towards energy independence; and it 
means lower utility rates for rural Montanans, for hardworking Montana 
families.
  President Obama, it's time to approve the Keystone pipeline.

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