On the recordNovember 18, 2014
Mr. President, I rise today in support of the Keystone XL Pipeline, a critical infrastructure project that has been delayed by political games for far too long. Just recently the American people have said they are tired of political games. They want action in Washington, DC. The Keystone Pipeline will provide good-paying construction jobs to Americans--including hard-working Montanans--at no cost to the American taxpayer. As the Bakken region continues to boom, this pipeline will provide an important onramp for Montana oil which will boost local economies. This year the Bakken formation produced its billionth barrel of crude oil. That means hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in local economies to support good-paying jobs in the United States instead of being sent abroad. It also means 1 billion barrels of oil did not come from places such as Iran and Russia. A few weeks ago, I got to see firsthand the remarkable development that is happening in eastern Montana and the work that is being done to help secure our energy independence. I have seen firsthand the costs of dependence on oil from hostile places. During the Iraq war, I commanded the largest deployment of Montanans to war since World War II. In World War II, our strategic interest in the Middle East has been oil. Our dependence on foreign oil should never again be a reason for war.…





