Lois Capps: “I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3. The Keystone proposal itself is a bad idea. This bill simply makes it worse. It's…”

“I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3. The Keystone proposal itself is a bad idea. This bill simply makes it worse. It's no secret that we are dependent on oil and other fossil fuels for our energy needs. But it's also no secret that this dependence is polluting our planet, harming public health, and threatening our national security. But rather than reduce this dependence, H.R. 3 and the Keystone pipeline just make this problem worse. We have the greatest innovators and entrepreneurs in the world and they're eager to build a sustainable energy future, but they can't do it on their own. Instead of doubling down on fossil fuels, we should be encouraging development of clean, renewable energy resources and technologies. These investments protect our planet for future generations and they improve the health of our friends and our family. And they create permanent, local jobs that can't be shipped overseas. Finally, there's no denying that construction of this pipeline would create jobs, but they're mostly temporary jobs. And while we're facing estimated job losses of 750,000 due simply to sequestration, creating a few thousand temporary jobs, though helpful, does not constitute the comprehensive jobs legislation our Nation really needs. This Congress needs to take steps to move to a clean energy economy and create millions of permanent jobs right here in the USA that cannot be shipped overseas. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 3 is a giant step in the wrong direction on both counts.…”