[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 18891-18893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7638]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 18891]]


                Memorandum of March 22, 2012

                
Expediting Review of Pipeline Projects From 
                Cushing, Oklahoma, to Port Arthur, Texas, and Other 
                Domestic Pipeline Infrastructure Projects

                Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies

                In an economy that relies on oil, rising prices at the 
                pump affect all of us. With crude oil prices 
                controlling about three-quarters of gasoline prices, 
                the most important driver of the price here at home is 
                the world oil price--making our economy vulnerable to 
                events halfway around the globe. There are no quick 
                fixes to this problem. In the long run we need to 
                reduce America's dependence on oil--which is why my 
                Administration is implementing historic fuel economy 
                standards for cars and trucks, launching new programs 
                to improve energy efficiency in our buildings, and 
                facilitating the safe and responsible development of 
                our natural gas resources.

                But for the foreseeable future, we will continue to 
                rely on oil to help fuel our transportation system. As 
                a result, we must safely and responsibly develop our 
                oil resources here at home, as part of an all-of-the-
                above energy strategy to grow our economy and make us 
                more secure.

                Because of rising oil production, more efficient cars 
                and trucks, and a world-class refining sector that last 
                year was a net exporter of petroleum products for the 
                first time in 60 years, we have cut net imports by a 
                million barrels a day in the last year alone. By 
                reducing our dependence on foreign oil, we will make 
                our Nation more secure and improve our trade balance--
                creating jobs and supporting domestic industry.

                In order to realize these potential benefits, we need 
                an energy infrastructure system that can keep pace with 
                advances in production. To promote American energy 
                sources, we must not only extract oil--we must also be 
                able to transport it to our world-class refineries, and 
                ultimately to consumers.

                The need for infrastructure is particularly acute right 
                now. Because of advances in drilling technology that 
                allow us to tap new oil deposits, we are producing more 
                oil from unconventional sources--places like the Eagle 
                Ford Shale in South Texas, where production grew by 
                more than 200 percent last year, or the Bakken 
                formation of North Dakota and Montana, where output has 
                increased tenfold in the last 5 years alone. In States 
                like North Dakota, Montana, and Colorado, rising 
                production is outpacing the capacity of pipelines to 
                deliver the oil to refineries.

                Cushing, Oklahoma, is a prime example. There, in part 
                due to rising domestic production, more oil is flowing 
                in than can flow out, creating a bottleneck that is 
                dampening incentives for new production while 
                restricting oil from reaching state-of-the-art 
                refineries on the Gulf Coast. Moving forward on a 
                pipeline from Cushing to Port Arthur, Texas, could 
                create jobs, promote American energy production, and 
                ultimately benefit consumers.

                Although expanding and modernizing our Nation's 
                pipeline infrastructure will not lower prices right 
                away, it is a vital part of a sustained strategy to 
                continue to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and 
                enhance our Nation's energy security. Therefore, as 
                part of my Administration's broader efforts to improve 
                the performance of Federal permitting and review 
                processes, we must make pipeline infrastructure a 
                priority, ensuring the health, safety, and security of 
                communities and the environment while supporting 
                projects

[[Page 18892]]

                that can contribute to economic growth and a secure 
                energy future. In doing so, the Federal Government must 
                work in partnership with State, local, and tribal 
                governments, which play a central role in the siting 
                and permitting of pipelines; and, we must protect our 
                natural resources and address the concerns of local 
                communities.

                Section 1. Expedited Review of Pipeline Projects from 
                Cushing to Port Arthur and Other Domestic Pipeline 
                Infrastructure Projects. (a) To address the existing 
                bottleneck in Cushing, as well as other current or 
                anticipated bottlenecks, agencies shall, to the maximum 
                extent practicable and consistent with available 
                resources and applicable laws (including those relating 
                to public safety, public health, and environmental 
                protection), coordinate and expedite their reviews, 
                consultations, and other processes as necessary to 
                expedite decisions related to domestic pipeline 
                infrastructure projects that would contribute to a more 
                efficient domestic pipeline system for the 
                transportation of crude oil, such as a pipeline from 
                Cushing to Port Arthur. This subsection shall be 
                implemented consistent with my Executive Order of March 
                22, 2012 (Improving Performance of Federal Permitting 
                and Review of Infrastructure Projects), and applicable 
                projects shall have their status tracked on the online 
                Federal Infrastructure Projects Dashboard referenced 
                therein.

                    (b) In expediting reviews pursuant to subsection 
                (a) of this section, agencies shall, to the maximum 
                extent practicable and consistent with applicable law, 
                utilize and incorporate information from prior 
                environmental reviews and studies conducted in 
                connection with previous applications for similar or 
                overlapping infrastructure projects so as to avoid 
                duplicating effort.

                Sec. 2. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this 
                memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise 
                affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head 
thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
related to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent 
                with applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does 
                not, create any right or benefit, substantive or 
                procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any 
                party against the United States, its departments, 
                agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or 
                agents, or any other person.

[[Page 18893]]

                    (d) The Director of the Office of Management and 
                Budget is hereby authorized and directed to publish 
                this memorandum in the Federal Register.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, March 22, 2012

[FR Doc. 2012-7638
Filed 3-27-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3110-01-P