[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7838]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 3, 2013

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I was unfortunately unable to cast a vote on 
rollcall 179 on the evening of May 22, 2013. I strongly oppose the 
Northern Route Approval Act and I would have voted ``no'' on passage of 
H.R. 3. This legislation is another reckless attempt to disregard due 
process for reviewing projects with significant implications for 
national security, the environment and public health. I have 
consistently stated that TransCanada's application for a permit to 
build the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline must undergo a full 
environmental review and public comment period, as required by law, 
before the President determines whether the project is within the 
national interest. It is irresponsible to waive environmental review 
and public comment, much less ``deem approved'' a project of such 
magnitude as the Keystone XL pipeline, especially in light of the 
recent tar sands disaster in Mayflower, Arkansas that spilled 210,000 
gallons of heavy crude oil and displaced 22 families from their homes.

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