Hank Johnson: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to speak today on H.R. 1938, the North American-Made Energy Security Act of…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to speak today on H.R. 1938, the North American-Made Energy Security Act of 2011, and on my amendment to this legislation. I oppose H.R. 1938, which would accelerate the approval of the Keystone Koch Brothers XL pipeline. No one knows how much air pollution this pipeline will cause, or how the pollution will impact the public health. My amendment, which has been endorsed by the National Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club, is common sense. I'm simply requesting a thorough analysis of the potential health risks that should be completed before any decision is made to begin construction. Even though the State Department has submitted two environmental impact statements on the Keystone Koch Brothers XL pipeline, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that neither statement included a satisfactory evaluation of the increased air pollution that would come as a result of this pipeline's operation. Communities surrounding the oil refineries that would be along the transportation route for these raw tar sands crude are already exposed to dirty air. Approval of the Koch Brothers Keystone XL pipeline will only make it worse. The raw tar sands crude is more toxic and acidic than other types of crude. Raw tar sands crude produces significantly more harmful pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions than conventional crude oil due to the complex refining process it must go through before it reaches gas pumps in China.…”