Emanuel Cleaver: “I thank the ranking member. This legislation is very likely going to be approved, and that is sad for a number of…”

“I thank the ranking member. This legislation is very likely going to be approved, and that is sad for a number of reasons. {time} 1845 Let me just declare here what I declare in my district and anywhere else. I believe in earmarks because I think it is constitutional. I think it is almost politically obscene to give what the Constitution says is our responsibility to the White House no matter who is there. That is why I have some serious concerns about this special interest earmark that will make the U.S. a permanent conduit to international markets for one of the dirtiest fuel sources on the planet. This is an earmark for TransCanada. Maybe the worst abuse in this legislation is that it exempts TransCanada from all Federal permitting requirements and other Federal environmental laws. Other U.S. companies will have to abide by laws that we will exempt for TransCanada. It exempts TransCanada from paying into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which helps the government respond to oil spills. Now, this particular company already has had major oil spills. We will have oil spills. So what we are saying when we approve this legislation are these things: One, we are going to give an earmark to TransCanada.…”