HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 109

BY  WATTS, DRAKE, PETTENGILL, GARRETT, FORRISTALL, L. MILLER, BAUDLER, HUSEMAN, CHAMBERS, LOFGREN, DE BOEF, TJEPKES, ANDERSON, DEYOE, ALONS, KOESTER, ROGERS, FRY, HAGENOW, HORBACH, VANDER LINDEN, J. SMITH, SCHULTZ, BYRNES, LUKAN, WAGNER, RAECKER, SCHULTE, JORGENSEN, DOLECHECK, HANUSA, HEIN, MOORE, VAN ENGELENHOVEN, RASMUSSEN, BALTIMORE, WINDSCHITL, WORTHAN, RAYHONS, COWNIE, SODERBERG, and HAGER

A Resolution in support of the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline project.

   WHEREAS, the United States relies, and will continue to rely for many years, on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel despite a recent focus on the development and utilization of alternative and renewable sources of energy; and
   WHEREAS, additional amounts of oil and natural gas, as well as alternative sources of energy, will be necessary in order to expand this country’s economy; and
   WHEREAS, the United States currently depends on foreign imports for more than one-half of its petroleum usage, and as the largest consumer of petroleum in the world, this dependence has created difficult political relationships with damaging consequences for this country’s national security; and
   WHEREAS, oil shale deposits in the Bakken Reserves in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota are an increasingly important crude oil resource, with an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil, and there is not enough pipeline capacity for crude oil supplies from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas to reach American refineries; and
   WHEREAS, Canadian oil reserves contain an estimated 173 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and Canada is the single largest supplier of oil to the United States at 2.62 million barrels per day, and Canada has the capacity to significantly increase this rate; and
   WHEREAS, the Keystone XL pipeline will, when completed, carry 700,000 barrels of North American oil to American refineries in the Gulf Coast region and the construction of the pipeline will create an estimated 120,000 jobs nationwide, generate $20 billion in economic growth, and generate millions of dollars in government receipts; and
   WHEREAS, a recent study by the United States Department of Energy found that increasing oil deliveries to American refineries from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma, and Alberta, Canada, to American refineries has the potential to substantially reduce this country’s dependency on foreign energy sources; and
   WHEREAS, Canada sends more than 99 percent of its oil exports to the United States, the bulk of which goes to midwestern refineries, oil companies are investing huge sums to expand and upgrade refineries in the Midwest and elsewhere to make gasoline and other refined products from Canadian oil, and these expansion and upgrade projects will create many construction jobs over the next five years, and add to Iowa’s gross state product; and
   WHEREAS, the same money used to purchase North American oil will likely later be spent directly on United States goods and services in contrast with money sent to hostile oil-producing governments that is later used to further antidemocratic agendas; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives supports the continued and increased development and delivery of oil derived from North American oil reserves to American refineries and urges the United States Congress to similarly support that continued and increased development and delivery; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urges the United States Congress to request the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project, which has been awaiting a permit since 2008 in order to reduce dependence on unstable governments, improve this country’s national security, and strengthen ties with an important ally; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the members of Iowa’s congressional delegation.