particularly in the fracking area and with some proposed liquid natural gas export facilities that will help provide employment in the construction trade and in this case, there will be 35 permanent jobs for this tax exempt sludge that will be shipped to a zone in texas where it's most likely to be exported. do we need to export more oil, gas, and diesel from the united states of america? is that going to help lower the price at the pump for americans? i don't think so. and in fact, we are today exporting 422,000 barrels of gasoline a day, 1.3 million barrels of diesel every day, yet truckers are still being pretty well extorted at the pump. ou know, that's 54.6 million

gallons of diesel yet our going to take w, we're this tar sand goop and process it in the u.s. and export it. it's not going to help the processors. and then there are minor environmental issues. tar sands do create 81% more greenhouse gas than most other forms of fossil fuel extraction. they are going to destroy forever, forever, large portions of forests. i'm sure that is a canadian issue. if i lived in canada, they would be protesting. i don't. we don't need to build a pipeline there. they will use precious water resources and create waste pits that will be polluted with the extract, except for the part

that which is shipped south to be processed and shipped overseas. so i really don't see this as something we should preempt the laws of the united states. 2.5 million comments. republicans don't care much about the comments. 2.5 million comments that are still being evaluated, raising concerns about various aspects of this project. but here, i will say, bad legislation, good politics, we are trying to help someone get elected to the senate who is currently a member of the house, the senate is potentially moving ahead with this bill. the house, with very little notice, zidded they would bring up this bill that we have passed in one version or another eight previous times. and use of the house of representatives to promote's candidacy to the united states senate, which i think is a really a disgrace to this institution.

with that, i would reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. mr. shuster: it's now my pressure to yield two minutes to the subcommittee chairman of railroads and pipelines, mr. denham of california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. denham: this is a bill about jobs and create tens of those of american jobs. long overdue. it will enhance our energy independence and strengthen our national security. however, today, i want to talk about the safety of this pipeline. as the chairman noted, the trans-canadian has agreed to a number of additional mitigation measures to make the pipeline the safest ever built. these 59 special conditions were recommended by the pipeline and hazardous materials and safety administration and go above and beyond current regulation.

several conditions will ensure the high use of steal and welleds, both which will reduce the chance of a pipeline release. the pipeline will include automatic shutoff valves and increase the depth of coverage. it will be buried a foot deeper than the regular layings require. transcanada will provide right-of-way inspections and greater transparency. this includes this important pipeline that will not only create jobs but help us to be energy interest. these are private sector jobs that will be the safest pipeline ever built. this project has been bipartisan. three committees with bipartisan support. and i urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation at a very important time when we need those american jobs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from oregon.

the gentleman from oregon has 10 minutes remaining. the gentleman from pennsylvania has 11 minutes remaining. mr. defazio: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new jersey. mr. holt: i thank my friend from oregon and i rise in opposition to this. we've heard about the nature of this very dirty material that is dug rather than pumped. and the fact that it will go through america, not to america. now, we might ask, on a day when u.s. oil production was announced to reach a 30-year high of more than nine million barrels, why we would be even considering this. well, it's not because this fits into our energy picture. we will risk oil spills that are a mess to clean up. and we here that oil spills

won't occur. the transcanada pipeline, also known as keystone, had 12 separate oil spills in its first year of operation, tens of thousands of gallons and hard to clean up and as you also heard, this doesn't count as petroleum and therefore, they don't pay into the oil spill liket trust fund. so taxpayers are on the hook for this difficult cleanup. the real problem is none of these points, but it is taking us down the road where we should not be going. this is the most carbon-intensive liquid fuel, if you want to call it liquid, that we could possibly use. it is changing our very climate in ways that are deadly and costly. we shouldn't be going in this direction. it is that simple. i yield back the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from oge reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from oklahoma for two minutes. mr. mullin: it is baffleling to me that this debate is still going on. we have to reduce our dependency on oversees -- overseas oil. yet many play political gamemanship. i have seen what effect it has had on my district. this pipeline would provide high-paying jobs that are well above minimum wage. exactly, the type of jobs this body likes to talk about. yet, despite the economic benefits, this pipeline would

provide -- there has been zero action by this president and his administration. so today, i stand in support of h.r. 5682, as a call to this president and the senate, that it's time to approve the keystone pipeline. if they truly want to help the american people, they will join us in moving this legislation forward. mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oklahoma yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> we are considering today another bill to force approval of the keystone pipeline outside of the regular order required for all international energy infrastructure projects. this is a very early christmas president from the united states congress to someone specific canadian company. mr. huffman: the vote exempts

transcanada from the permitting standards that all american companies are held to. rst yet, they will be exempt from paying into the trust fund. so merry christmas transcanada. and what gift can we expect in return? carbon pollution and heavy crude shipped through our country to export terminals and higher gas prices. t's remember, transcanada is on-line saying it would increase the price of oil. instead of deliberative process, the g.o.p. majority is rushing to raise gas prices in this country. this christmas present to transcanada is like a lump of coal to u.s. consumers at the pump and a lump of coal for communities who are sure to be impacted by this pipeline when something goes wrong and a huge

lump of coal for our climate. we still have another 41 shopping days until christmas. no need for us to play santa for transcanada today. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back. the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: i yield to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. kelly. mr. kelly: this is a jobs bill, not only in the house of representatives but a job bill in the senate. dr. cassidy's bill is about creating tens of thousands of jobs for hard-working americans. $8 billion private investment that won't cost the american taxpayer one cent. it is about america taking the lead for energy. for six years, this house has passed pieces of legislation that would have created the keystone pipeline. every one of those died in the

senate. now, the senate is entertaining this because of one job, tens of thousands of jobs that all these americans who you turned a deaf ear and blind eye to. one job, one senator who has the possibility of losing her seat because of the keystone pipeline. isn't it ironic that we sit here today and try to spin this into something it is not. it is a jobs bill, an american bill that is going to create billions of dollars in revenue. and i ask my friends on the other side, don't look no further than last tuesday. last tuesday was a referendum on incompetency. open your eyes and ears to the american people and let us create jobs and let us reach the energy independence that we need to succeed in the american economy. it is about one job in the

senate or thousands of americans that have been held hostage by an administration that refuses to move forward a jobs bill when they say we have saved jobs, the one job they are trying to save is in the senate. it has nothing to do with policy. it is all politics. thank you, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: i have no additional speakers. does the gentleman from pennsylvania have additional speakers? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon -- mr. defazio: i have no additional speakers. mr. shuster: i have one additional speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. mr. shuster: i yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. it's been more than six years since application was filed in the keystone pipeline. this is my background and this

is where i made my living. despite the opposition, the benefits of the pipeline far jout weigh any negative impact. construction will lead to thousands of jobs, well-paying jobs when americans are struggling to find work. reliable source of energy has the potential to reduce gas prices and expand refineries and lessen our dependence on foreign energy sources. the pipeline signifies a secure source of energy for our country if needed. it is not an economic issue but a security issue as well. thousands of america caps are out of work. i challenge you, mr. speaker, for those who say these are temporary jobs. talk to the men and women who bought cars and houses with these temporary jobs that you ll -- are they temporary

legacies or retirements? i thank our congressman for introducing this bill that not only fulfills the requirements but also protects the rights of private property owners should they be affected by the pipeline route. with my past experience, i can say that this project is no different than the thousands of other pipelines we lay each year. it crosses national borders and gives the president to delay it. the president is bhaking political promises when it should be deemed practical. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. defazio: let's just sum up. we have the most extraordinarily carbon-intensive way of creating diesel and extracting these tar

sands. the contributions, believe that greenhouse gases are beneficial or aren't a problem. we have a foreign entity that will be exempt from paying taxes like u.s. entities and through the oil spill liability trust fund and we will be stuck with the bill. we have a foreign entity, granted, they are our friends and neighbors in canada, but foreign, private corporation being given the right of eminent domain over citizens in the state of nebraska. we have, in fact, this company saying it's likely, if this pipeline is completed that gasoline prices will go up in midwestern areas of the united states and their production will be exported from the united states. so it's not going to be a direct benefit to americans ordeal with energy independence, which we heard earlier. so all in all -- and, of course,

we are cutting short the evaluation process that every other energy-producing entity in america has to go through in terms of environmental reviews and of course, we are cutting off any meaningful consideration of the 2.5 million comments that have been received by the state department. but, hey, if it could help a house member be a senate member and get elected to the senate, so, i guess it's a bad bill whose time has come. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon yields back. the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i would argue this more supplies of oil generally drive prices down, not up. first this pipeline safety is officially moved through this country safely.

it's the safest way to move these products. mr. shuster: and there's been numerous additional mitigation measures the state department said would reduce the risk of release. second, the state state department has said this will create 40,000 jobs, over $3 billion in construction contracts and, finally, as i said from sourcing more crude oil from our friendly neighbor to the north, it will reduce our reliance and most likely reduce the cost of energy to the american people. so for these reasons, mr. speaker, i encourage all of our members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. >> thank you very much. i'd like to make a parliamentary inquiry and ask how much time is alkited to both sides at this -- allocated to both sides at this point. the speaker pro tempore: 15 minutes is allocated to each side. >> thank you very much. mr. speaker, at this time i would like to yield five minutes to the author of this bill, the distinguished dr. bill cassidy of louisiana, a member of the energy and commerce committee, a real leader in trying to bring about energy independence in america and at this time i yield him five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for five minutes. mr. cassidy: thank you, mr. speaker. it has been over six years since backers of the keystone x.l. pipeline first submitted an application to the u.s. state department on september 19, 2008, to build this energy infrastructure project and bring jobs and greater energy security to america. now, building the keystone x.l. pipeline would create more than

40,000 average annual jobs, over a one to two-year construction period, putting $2 billion into workers and their families' pockets and giving a you much-needed boost -- giving a much-needed boost to the american construction sector. in addition, tens of thousands of jobs would be supported throughout the supply chain. jobs for manufactures that make the steel pipes, the valves, pumps, control and safety devices, required for major pipelines. in addition to my home state of louisiana, manufactures in georgia, west virginia, throughout the country, would benefit from the construction of this infrastructure project. now, economists have found that the pipeline would create 20,000 manufacturing jobs, an additional 118,000 spinoff jobs, including jobs within the u.s. refinery and petro chemical facilities. this would employ and improve

the jobs for americans who right now are struggling. refiners in louisiana and along the gulf coast would benefit from a reliable supply of heavy crude transported through the keystone x.l. pipeline. these petro chemical plants employ families that are right now having the hardest time in this economy, this gives them those better jobs. the final state department review found the pipeline would create over 40,000 jobs without significant environmental impact. now, note, canada's oil sands are going to be developed with or without this pipeline. the canadian government is already on record stating that oil sands derive from crude oil -- derived from crude oil will be exported to overseas markets like china, it will be shipped on rail and in oil tankers, which may actually increase greenhouse gas emissions versus transportation to the u.s. by

pipeline. now, the case for proving the keystone x.l. pipeline is clear and obvious. so why haven't the president approved it? -- hasn't the president approved it? and why up to this point hasn't senator reid allowed a vote on approving keystone x.l.? if there was ever legislation that should not be difficult to get through the senate, it is the keystone x.l. pipeline. by the way, pew research reports that over 60% of americans support it, as do major labor unions, every state along the pipeline's route, and the majority of the house of representatives on eight separate occasions voting on similar bills in the affirmative. so here we are on the ninth attempt. it has been 539 days, a year and half, since the house first sent a keystone approval bill to the senate in this congress. that legislation could have been considered, amended, passed or completely replaced, yet the bills collected dust on senator reid's desk.

the bill considered today that i introduced is the language asked for by the senate. so, we are going to make it as easy as possible for the senate to finally get a bill to the president's desk that approves this long overdue keystone x.l. pipeline. thanks to the transportation and infrastructure committee, the energy and commerce committee, the natural resources committee, the rules committee, and house leadership for working with me to clear a path for this expedited consideration. upon passage of this bill in the house, it will go to the senate for approval, then to the president where i hope he signs h.r. 5682 into law. i want to thank chairmans upton, whitfield, shuster, sessions and hastings for this work on this important legislation. i particularly want to thank the american people for sending a signal in this last election that they want we in

washington, d.c., to work together to accomplish commonsense legislation that will create jobs for families which are struggling now, but because of legislation like this, will have more opportunity and a better future. this is a perfect example of what the american people have asked us to do. i encourage my colleagues to join me in approving the keystone x.l. pipeline, to finally provide 40,000 promised jobs to the american people. thank you, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: today we are voting once again to grant special treatment to transcanada's keystone x.l. pipeline. this is the third time this congress and the eighth time since the republicans took

control of the house. instead of helping families deal with pressing problems, we're helping canadian tar sands producers and pipeline builders. we're spending our time trying to exempt a foreign company from the rules that every other company in america has to follow. this bill is not an energy policy. it is about a single pipeline that will allow canadian tar sands to flow across our country for export to other countries. that's oil going through the united states but not to the united states. we don't need this oil. we have our own sources of oil. and we are using less oil because of our efficiency in new cars getting better mileage. this bill will not lower

gasoline prices by a single penny. it may even raise them in some places. and it will at most create just a few dozen permanent jobs. there will be some temporary jobs for construction, once they're gone, they're gone. this bill is a regulatory earmark. it will waive applicable environmental review requirements and risk our farmlands and our water supplies. in fact, it even exempts the keystone pipeline from paying into the oil spill fund that other oil companies have to contribute to. that means if there's a problem with that pipeline, well, there's no payment by keystone x.l. to that fund to make those who are hurt whole. that means that if there's a spill there won't be the money to clean it up. the keystone x.l. tar sands

pipeline is a terrible deal for america. we get all the risks while the oil companies reap the rewards. but even if you support it, this bill is a harmful and unnecessary piece of legislation. the state department is carrying out their review of this highly controversial project. they've got millions of comments and the federal agencies are reviewing these comments. h.r. 5682 would approve the pipeline by fiat, lock out the public, eliminate the president's authority to balance competing interests, and stop federal agencies from ensuring that if the project does go forward we do it as safely as possible. forget about those comments. we'll just pass a bill and make it happen, rather than consider

all the other issues that would be appropriate to look at in approving or disproving this pipeline. i oppose this legislation for all of these reasons. there is one more important reason why i oppose the bill. the tar sands pipeline will worsen climate change. keystone x.l. would create a dependence on tar sands crude, reversing the carbon pollution reductions we've been working so hard to accomplish. according to some experts, building the keystone x.l. pipeline will triple production of the tar sands and that's totally inconsistent with any future scenario for avoiding catastrophic climate. just this week the united states and china agreed to mutual pledges to fight climate change. and i commend president obama and president xi for that

accomplishment. this is a really important development. for the last two decades, antagonisms between the united states and china has stimied efforts to reach a global climate agreement. those days we hope are finally over. the u.s. and china are now both pledging strong joint action. the world has been waiting decades for the u.s. and china to reach an understanding on climate. now that moment has finally arrived. and yet instead of working on a real energy policy, one that would move us toward a new, low-carbon energy future, instead of working on a clean energy future that would create lots of new jobs, real jobs, permanent jobs, and keep pace with china's clean energy investments, instead of trying to protect our irreplaceable environment and our drinking water supplies, republicans

have set their sights on passing a special law for a special interest. i urge my colleagues to vote no on this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. whitfield: at this time i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished majority whip, a member of the energy and commerce committee and a strong leader for energy independence for america, mr. scalise. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. scalise: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank chairman whitfield for yielding. especially i want to thank my colleague from louisiana, congressman cassidy, for the leadership that he had in fighting hard to get this bill brought to the floor. so we can finally get the keystone pipeline built. if you look at this issue, this is all about jobs and it's all about american energy security, mr. speaker. what is the keystone pipeline mean for america? according to the obama administration, 40,000 jobs

will be created here in america, good jobs that our economy needs. in fact, this is not a partisan issue, this is a very bipartisan issue. republicans and democrats alike have come together and said, build the keystone pipeline. even though labor unions have said, build the keystone pipeline, unfortunately just a small group of radical environmental extremists have held this project hostage and president obama's hidden behind studies to say, don't do it. so now congress can come together in a bipartisan way and say, let's get this thing done. let's actually work with canada, who's a friend, mr. speaker, and bring almost a million barrels a day of oil from canada that will no longer need to get from countries who -- that we'll no longer need to get from countries who don't like us. this isn't about a million new barrels coming into america. it's deciding who we're going to do business with. when we trade with canada, we get 80 cents on the dollar back. when we send billions of dollars to middle eastern countries, sometimes that

money's used against us, against our troops. and we get less than 50 cents on the dollar back. everything about this says do it, says yes, stop saying no to american jobs, stop saying no to american energy security. this is an issue that brings people together and there was a message that the american people sent last week. they don't want a go-alone president. they want a washington that can work for them. this is a classic example of how republicans and democrats can come together and say yes to a project that creates good jobs for our country and creates american energy security for our nation. let the united states agree with canada to cross the border and they have to get the permits from each state and all the great jobs that would come from that pipeline and the billions

of dollars of private investment. the time for study is over and time for action and time to say yes to the keystone pipeline. i urge approval from my colleagues and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from louisiana yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from california. mr. waxman: everybody in louisiana is clearly for it. the senator from louisiana has been a strong supporter of it and the would-be replacement senator is for it. the republican whip from louisiana is strongly for it. the oil companies are strongly for it. but to say that those who oppose it are radical environmental extremists seems to me is quite a stretch. there are a lot of responsible people against this legislation,

even those who support the pipeline, because they would argue this is not the way to make a decision. put a bill on the floor to ignore all the comments, all the evaluations, all the considerations. the people in nebraska are not going to be happy about that. maybe in louisiana, they will be. but other places would like to know that pipelines are safe and their drinking water is not going to be jeopardize. i yield to the distinguished member of our committee, who is he ranking member of the subcommittee, mr. rush. mr. rush: i want to begin by thanking the ranking member of the full committee, mr. waxman, for his outstanding leadership on this and other matters that have come before the energy and

commerce committee. i want to say to him that his leadership has been inspiring on so many issues. mr. speaker, i strongly disagree with the process that the majority side has undertaken in -- to hace tillly h.r. this bill to the floor. the keystone pipeline is not key to america's energy future. and we just disregard the merits or lack thereof, of the keystone pipeline itself. the majority just recently as this past couple of weeks made promises to the american people that they will return to regular order and bring bills to the

floor of this congress. and mr. speaker, here we are, once again, promises made, promises broken. this bill was brought to this hour fter one hour, one of debate and without the ability for the minority side to bring forth any amendments, not one amendment can we bring to this bill. where is the promise of bipartisanship on the other side of this particular matter regarding this bill? promises made to the american people equals promises broken by the majority. mr. speaker, this bill would automatically approve the

keystone xl pipeline even though this pipeline has no legal route through the state of nebraska, where there's a case pending in the courts before a local judge regarding some of the issues that surrounds this illegal pipeline. why can't the people of nebraska , the citizens of nebraska have the time and the consideration just to make sure that this and ine is safe for them their drinking water and their environment. there are other states that this pipeline is going to be traveling through. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. rush: could i have one more minute?

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for an additional minute. mr. rush: there is an independent process taking place and this bill should shortcut the approval process. and would allow -- this bill would allow a foreign company to seize property from the american people, particularly those who are in nebraska. additionally, this bill seeks to usurp the president's ability and authority to ultimately approve or reject the project as instead use this pipeline a political football to score some elective advantages. broughtker,ight times

this bill or a version of the bill to the floor. don't we get it? eight is enough. enough. "eight is enough." . i yield back. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. whitfield: i recognize a mber of the energy of -- and olson. commerce, mr. mr. olson: mr. speaker, this week, the house will pass a bill to complete the keystone pipeline system. he first pipeline in the system, known only as keystone.

at pipeline has been sending 600,000 barrels a day from canada to illinois. it has been four years and counting. and the water in nebraska is still clean. the second pipeline this system is called the keystone xl. it sends the same oil into merica as keystone does, but slightly longer and different route. it has been approved twice. secretary kerry has approved it once. and yet, the politician in chief

has threatened to veto the keystone xl pipeline. anada will export their oil. or it goes to china. president obama has on simple choice, oil for america or oil for china. oil for america or oil for china. please join congress in choosing america. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: may i inquire how much time we have on each side? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california has 4 1/2 remaining and the gentleman from kentucky has 5 1/2

remaining. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california reserves. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. mr. whitfield: i would like to yield to the distinguished the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. fits pat rick -- fitzpatrick, two minutes. mr. fitzpatrick: i have come to the floor in support of the keystone pipeline project asking for the senate and the white house to put politics aside in favor of this critical project. with bipartisan support, the house has passed eight separate pieces of legislation to clear the way for approval of the most studied pipeline in american history. each time these measures were blocked in the senate and condemned by a president crippled by indecision that would put tens of thousands of americans to work. i rise in support of the keystone pipeline, joining my parties, which would certify the

secretary of state's final environmental impact statement from a year ago and put our country on independence. while the house has taken definitive action to advance this critical goal, the senate has waited until only politically advantageous to do so even though it ep joyce majority support. while i'm pleased about the benefits of this commonsense project which will grow our economy and strengthen our national security, it is a shame that it took election-year politics and not the best interests. this pipeline is a vital piece of a plan that creates yobs and more opportunity and i encourage the senate and president to deliver on the promise of embracing an all of the above strategy that works for the american people. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: i recognize the entlelady from illinois, two minutes. ms. schakowsky: there are three umbers that we ought to know about. the grees celsius before earth becomes catastrophic. of igatons the amount carbon dioxide that can be emitted before we reach rreversible global warmings. the alberta tar sands and nearly half the carbon the world can burn. keystone xl is the fastest and

perhaps the only way to fully develop the alberta tar sands. it would move one million important day of the dirtiest oil. it would pass through our nation's most important land and water sources, including one that supplies 0% of the united states drinking water. and those who claim there is no serious risk of a spill have short memory. there were 12 spills in the first year of its operation and 30 spills in just over four years. so what i'm saying today is that this is dangerous and not the best way to create jobs. three jobs are created for every dollar invested in renewable energies over the pipeline and so if we want jobs, if we want clean energy and a good

environment, we should vote down this legislation. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois yields back. the gentleman from cal reserves. the gentleman from kentucky. mr. whitfield: i think i have the right to close. so if they would like to proceed. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky reserves. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. waxman: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from missouri, mr. cleaver. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. cleaver: thank you, member. look, this legislation is very likely going to be approved. and that's sad for a number of reasons. let me just declare here what i declare in my districts. 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's there. and so that's 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. is is an earmark for transcanada and 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 and exempts them from paying into the oil spill liket fund which helps the government respond to il spills. this company has already had

major oil spills, we will have oil spills. what we're saying when we approve this legislation are these things. one, we're going to give an earmark to a transcanada. it's ok to give an earmark, a special interest earmark, we just can't do it in the united states. number, two we're saying that this transcanada will have the ability to bypass environmental laws that americans cannot bypass. and then number three, we're saying that this company does not have to pay one penny into the oil spill liability trust fund, which means that the people who are watching this debate tonight will pay when an oil spill occurs. and i think that is obscene. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california reserves. mr. waxman: mr. speaker, i think the gentleman on the other side of the aisle has the right to close. if he's ready to close, we're ready to yield back our time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time? the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. wit wit -- mr. waxman: you're ready to close? mr. whitfield: yes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. mr. whitfield: may i ask how many minutes i have available? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky has four minutes remaining. mr. whitfield: in conclusion on this important debate, i would like to, first of all, thank mr. waxman of california for the many contributions that he has made while a member of the house of representatives. i've had the opportunity to serve with him on the energy and commerce committee for many years. he has very strong beliefs. he's committed and i just want to wish him the very best in his future endeavors. i know he won't be retiring. he'll be very active in some worthwhile cause and i just want to tell him how much we admire and respect the work that he did, although i personally didn't agree philosophically with some of it, as i'm sure you did not agree with many of mine. but do i wish you the very

best, mr. waxman, as you move forward. in conclusion i would like to say, this is not a new piece of legislation. it has passed the house of representatives on eight separate occasions. and we really did not plan to bring it up in this lame duck session, except that senator reid, the leader of the senate, the democratic leader of the senate, changed his mind and decided to bring it up on the senate side. so when we found out about that , mr. cassidy introduced this legislation which mirrors the bill on the senate side. and we're thrilled that we have an opportunity to pass this legislation. and i expect that we will pass it. i might add that it has been studied for over six years. there have been four complete environmental studies completed.

the secretary of state's office on more than one occasion, two occasions, three occasions has said it would have negligentble environmental impact -- negligible environmental impact. in one case they said it would be better off to build this pipeline than not to build it because the environmental degree of moving it by pipeline would be better than the alternative, which is being moved -- in which it is being moved today. so i think it is a win-win-win situation for america. many people have said, well, they're simply bringing this oil through the united states and then it's going to be exported. we've had many hearings. some of it will be exported. but some of it will be refined right here in the u.s. it will be 850,000 barrels of oil a day, which is about half of what we're importing from the middle east. it will make us less dependent, some labor unions support this legislation.

the governor of nebraska supports this legislation. so i think it's a win-win-win for everyone. there are additional safety requirements on this pipeline that are not required on other pipelines. so i think there's going to be adequate safeguards. it's been -- we've held so many hearings on this, so i would urge the body, the house of representatives, to pass this legislation and give us the opportunity to send it down to the white house for the president's consideration and with that i'd yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky yields back the balance of his time. all time for debate has expired. pursuant to house resolution 748, the previous question is ordered on the bill. the question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. third reading. the clerk: a bill to approve the keystone x.l. pipeline. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition? mrs. capps: mr. speaker, i have a motion to recommit at the desk. i am opposed to the bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman qualifies. the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: mrs. capps of california moves to recommit the bill, h.r. 5682. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does -- mr. whitfield: i reserve a point of order against this motion to recommit. the speaker pro tempore: the point of order is reserved. the clerk will read. the clerk: mrs. capps of california moves to recommit the bill, h.r. 5682, to the committee on transportation and infrastructure, with instructions to report the same back to the house with the following amendment. at the end of the bill, add the following, section 2, requirement that transcanada keystone pipeline pay for any oil spill cleanup on american soil. and the approval process authorized under this act, transcanada keystone pipeline should certify to the president that diluted materials derived from the tar sands and oil sands that are transported through the keystone x.l.

pipeline be treated as crude oil and for the purposes of determining contributions that fund the oil spill liability trust fund. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from california is recognized for five minutes in support of her motion. mrs. capps: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to offer the final and only amendment to this bill. passage of this amendment will not prevent the pass and of the underlying bill -- passage of the underlying bill. my amendment would simply be incorporated into the bill and the bill will be immediately voted upon. mr. speaker, it's no secret that we're still primarily dependent on oil and other fossil fuels for our energy needs. this dependence does have the affect of polluting our planet, of harming public health and of threatening our national security. recent advances in clean, renewable energy technologies have demonstrated that it doesn't have to be this way. but rather than pursuing the sustainable energy future we

know we need, this and the keystone x.l. pipeline double down on fossil fuels and push us further down this destructive path. no matter if you support or oppose keystone x.l., we can all agree that drilling and transporting oil has serious risks. it only takes one small crack, one small mistake to cause a major oil spill. and catastrophic, irreparable harm to the surrounding communities. in 1969, my home district experienced one of the worst oil spills in u.s. history. i saw firsthand the devastating damage to our local economy, to human health, property and natural resources. and we've seen this happen far too many times since then in communities around the country. the deep water horizon disaster cost 11 lives, billions of dollars in economic damages and untold devastation to the delicate ecosystem of the gulf. and that very same year we saw

a terrible spill in michigan. this bill was particularly noteworthy because it involved tar sanledses oil. which is the same type of oil that would flow through the keystone pipeline. tar sands is much harder to clean up than standard crude, which is one of the reasons that spill took nearly $1 billion and several years to fully clean up. mr. speaker, history has shown us that there's simply no such thing as a spill-proof well or pipeline. accidents do happen. in fact, accidents have already happened 14 times on the existing keystone pipeline. despite numerous assurances that keystone x.l. will be safer and spill risks will be minimal, safer simply does not equate safe. and that's why we have oil spill liability trust fund, which is funded by an eight cents per barrel excise on crude oil and petroleum products. this fund ensures that the oil companies that create these messes also pay to clean them

up. but transcanada is currently exefment from -- exempt from contributing to the fund for keystone because tar sands oil is not considered crude oil for the purposes of the program. if keystone x.l. is approved, the pipeline's tar sands oil will literally get a free ride through the united states. and if there's a spill, taxpayers and local communities, not those responsible, could be stuck with the cleanup bill. this makes no -- with the cleanup bill. this makes no sense. transcanada and all tar sands oil companies should have to pay into the oil spill liability trust fund just like every other oil company. and that's why i'm offering this very straightforward amendment. my amendment would simply require transcanada's -- transcanada to certify it will pay the same per barrel fee for its tar sands oil as it does for its regular crude it. would ensure that trans-- crude. it would ensure that transcanada would pay to clean up its own mess in the event of a spill.

mr. speaker, if we as a nation -- and these are our natural resources as taxpayers -- if we as a nation are going to bear 100% of the spill risk, the least we can do is to ensure that those responsible pay to clean it up. this is a commonsense idea that should have bipartisan support. so i urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment, to protect american taxpayers and ensure that oil companies pay what is only their fair share and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kentucky seek recognition? mr. whitfield: mr. speaker, i'd like to withdraw my point of order and claim the time in opposition to the gentlelady's motion. the speaker pro tempore: the reservation is withdrawn. the gentleman from kentucky is recognized for five minutes. mr. whitfield: thank you very much. i would like to remind the gentlelady that president obama through a regulation decided

hat it's not crude oil for the purposes of the trust fund tax. so the problem was created by president obama and the i.r.s. we are in the process of trying to address that issue and it's under the jurisdiction of the ways and means committee and their tax reform package, that is an issue that they're looking at. but if we try to change that now, and this bill, we would be treating transcanada differently than all other pipelines are being treated, bringing it into the united states. i would also point out that this pipeline's greater safety characteristics, it has more safety characteristics than any other pipeline built, and we would think you'd want to incentivize its use and not punish it with further taxation. so, in my opinion, while i have great respect for the gentlelady from california, this is simply a ruse to kill

the bill and i would respectfully ask our members to oppose this motion to recommit, pass h.r. 5682 and, the senate has said, since senator reid has said they'll take it up in the senate, that's >> that was some of the debate from yesterday on the key tone pipeline. the house is back today to continue work on the bill to authorize the construction of the pipeline. we expect a vote this morning. follow the house live here on c-span when members gavel back in at 9:00 a.m. eastern. up next, "washington journal," live with your calls and oday's news. >> coming up this hour, we'll have an update on the open enrollment period for health insurance and the impact it's having on consumers with jayne o'donnell of "usa today." then a look at the effects of the healthcare law on the u.s.

economy with henry aaron of the brookings institution and university of chicago economics professor casey mulligan. and you can join the conversation on facebook and twitter. >> well, as regular viewers of this program know, we've been talking about the affordable care act for several years now. it was march 23, 2010, that the president signed the a.c.a. into law, the second en rollment period begins tomorrow, runs from november 15 through february 15 of next year. this morning on the "washington journal," we're going to look at at fordable care act, who signed up, the cost, how it's working, and your input is necessary for our conversation this morning. now, we've divided the phone lines a little bit differently. you can see u