Dewhurst urges Speaker Boehner and Leader Reid to pass Keystone XL legislation
The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable John Boehner
United States Senate United States House Of Representatives
522 Hart Senate Office Building H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator Reid and Speaker Boehner,
I am writing today to express my profound disappointment and urge you to pass legislation immediately approving the Keystone XL Pipeline and helping thousands of Americans get back to work.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's assertion that the Keystone XL Pipeline permit should be denied because it "does not serve the national interest" is outrageous, and the White House's claim that the deadline set forth by Congress has "prevented a full assessment of the pipeline's impact" is a blatant misrepresentation of the facts. The State Department has now had three years to review the Keystone XL pipeline proposal, and the benefits are resoundingly positive. Construction of the pipeline is estimated to create 20,000 jobs, support 118,000 spinoff jobs for local businesses and generate more than $20 billion in economic output.
Beyond answering many of our country’s economic problems, this project will help secure America’s energy independence long into the future. The United States currently imports 10-11 million barrels of oil per day. Building the Keystone XL pipeline would help reduce our dependence on imported oil from unstable regions like the Middle East and prevent Canada from exporting their valuable energy resources to other nations, such as China.
As Texans, we cannot emphasize enough how important the Keystone XL project is to our state. We have thousands of highly-skilled workers here in Texas who would eagerly fill the positions created by this project. The project would bring as much as $2 billion in economic output and $41 million in tax revenue to Texas − money our state could use to avert future budget shortfalls created by the weak national economy. The Keystone XL project will also greatly benefit local small businesses in the towns along the construction zones, and after construction is completed, local economies will continue to enjoy the benefits of increased local property tax revenue for the entire 100-year life of the project.
Please do not allow the Obama Administration to put Presidential politics or the interests of radical environmental groups ahead of the economic welfare of our country. Americans have already waited three years for the approval of this important proposal, and they cannot afford to wait any longer. I urge you to act today in supporting legislation that will move the Keystone XL Pipeline project forward, help secure our energy independence and provide much-needed jobs to thousands of hardworking Americans.
Sincerely,
David Dewhurst
Lt. Governor, State of Texas
