On the recordJuly 26, 2011
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chairman, today I rise in support of H.R. 1938, the North American-Made Energy Security Act. For far too long, the proposed Keystone XL pipeline has been caught up in bureaucratic red tape that unfortunately has become the norm with this administration. This legislation simply forces the administration to make a decision by November 1 of this year, which will be more than 3 years after the application was originally submitted. This bill addresses our Nation's dependence on OPEC for oil, but it also creates American jobs. The pipeline extension would allow for an additional 700,000 barrels of oil per day to be brought to the U.S. marketplace. This increase in oil, from America's largest trading partner, would begin to make America less beholden to unstable OPEC countries for our oil demands. Furthermore, if this pipeline isn't built, the oil will simply go to China instead of coming to America. This legislation would also pave the way for the creation of 13,000 direct jobs and tens of thousands of indirect jobs should the project be approved. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.
