Qrongr . egg of tq . e mnit.e~ ~tat.eg lt i Iunf1ingtnn, 1 1 m 20515 Pre sid ent Bar ack Oba ma The White Hou se 1600 Penns ylv ania Ave nue NW Was hin gto n, DC 205 00 We write tod ay to ex pre ss our sup por t that a Pres idential Per mit for th e Keyst one XL Pi pel ine Projec t is i n Ame ric a's national interest. Thi s is bas ed on the fac t that the Key sto ne XL Pip eli ne wil l inj ect $20 bill ion of priv ate sec tor inv est men t int o the Ame ric an eco nomy, create 20, 000 direct jo bs, spu r the cre ation of 118,000 spin-off jobs, pay out $5 b ill ion in taxes to lo cal cou nti es ove r the proj ect 's lif eti me, bol ste r Ame ric a's energy securi ty and strengthen our national sec uri ty. The pro jec t, whi ch has bi par tis an sup por t in Cong res s, has also earned the su ppo rt of lo cal gove rnment off ici als in t he sta tes alon g the p ipe line's rou te, labor unions, lan dow ner s, veterans' gro ups , His pan ic gro ups , the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ene rgy polic y exp erts, natio nal secur ity exper ts, edi tor ial boa rds and Ameri can s des per ate to see economic gro wth take hold once again in our country. The Keyst one XL Pipe line pro jec t is the subje ct of an e xha ust ive three- yea r , multi- age ncy review pro cess, which the De par tment of State has led. This tho rou gh and fai r revie w has incl ude d an examina tion of t he pi pel ine 's impact on Amer ica 's economy , env iro nme nt, ene rgy sup ply , national securi ty, saf ety and routin g. Amo ng the ag encies tha t the Dep artmen t of St ate has coordinated and consulted wit h are the De par tme nts ofDef ens e, Jus tic e, Int eri or, Commer ce, Tra nsportation, Ene rgy, Homela nd Security, and Env iro nme nta l Protec tion. The Depa rtment of State has a lso hel d more than 25 mee tin gs wit h int ere ste d gro ups - bot h sup por tin g and oppos ing the pr oje ct . It has also obtained inp ut from int ere ste d cit ize ns across the c oun try dur ing the Envi ron mental Imp act Sta tement comment per iod s and t he pu bli c mee tin gs hel d throu gho ut the co unt ry ove r the last few weeks The Department of State's Final Enviro nme ntal Impact Statement reaffi rme d the fin din gs of the two previous environme nta l imp act statements, namely, tha t the Keysto ne XL Pipeli ne wil l hav e no si gnificant impa cton the environment. It should be note d that as a r esu lt of t he compre hensive rev iew pro ces s, the Keys ton e XL Pi pel ine wil l be subj ect to he ight en safet y measu res. Since the pipeli ne is t he subj ect of a Pro jec t Labor Agr eement wit h fou r int ernati ona l uni ons, it wil l be construc ted and mai nta ine d by th e bes t-t rained wor kfo rce in the wo rld. We are c onf ide nt tha t the Department of Stat e's rev iew pro ces s and t he project operator's commitment to employing well-t rai ned uni on wor ker s wil l yield the most app rop ria tel y routed, safest and envi ron mental ly sou nd pipe line in o ur nation.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Qrongr.egg of tq.e mnit.e~ ~tat.eglt iIunf1ingtnn, 1 1 m 20515
President Barack Obama
The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
We write today to express our support that a Presidential Permit for the Keystone
XL Pipeline Project is in America's national interest. This is based on the fact that the
Keystone XL Pipeline will inject $20 billion of private sector investment into the
American economy, create 20,000 direct jobs, spur the creation of 118,000 spin-off jobs,
payout $5 billion in taxes to local counties over the project's lifetime, bolster America's
energy security and strengthen our national security. The project, which has bipartisan
support in Congress, has also earned the support of local government officials in the
states along the pipeline's route, labor unions, landowners, veterans' groups, Hispanic
groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, energy policy experts, national security experts,
editorial boards and Americans desperate to see economic growth take hold once again in
our country.
The Keystone XL Pipeline project is the subject of an exhaustive three-year,
multi-agency review process, which the Department of State has led. This thorough and
fair review has included an examination of the pipeline's impact on America's economy,
environment, energy supply, national security, safety and routing. Among the agencies
that the Department of State has coordinated and consulted with are the Departments of
Defense, Justice, Interior, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security, and
Environmental Protection. The Department of State has also held more than 25 meetings
with interested groups - both supporting and opposing the project. It has also obtained
input from interested citizens across the country during the Environmental Impact
Statement comment periods and the public meetings held throughout the country over the
last few weeks
The Department of State's Final Environmental Impact Statement reaffirmed the
findings of the two previous environmental impact statements, namely, that the Keystone
XL Pipeline will have no significant impact on the environment. It should be noted that
as a result of the comprehensive review process, the Keystone XL Pipeline will be
subject to heighten safety measures. Since the pipeline is the subject of a Project LaborAgreement with four international unions, it will be constructed and maintained by the
best-trained workforce in the world. We are confident that the Department of State's
review process and the project operator's commitment to employing well-trained union
workers will yield the most appropriately routed, safest and environmentally soundpipeline in our nation.
Over the last few weeks, a constant refrain was heard from our fellow citizens
attending the public hearings held in the states along the pipeline's route: "We need the
jobs, it's that simple. "
With job growth an ongoing struggle for our country, the proposed Keystone XL
Pipeline represents a true shovel-ready project that would directly create 20,000 high-quality domestic manufacturing and construction jobs for Americans who are desperately
seeking employment. The project would also create an additional 118,000 spin-off jobs.
As a speaker at one the public hearings sponsored by the Department of State said:
"Each day that workers go without ajob we lose our homes , we go without
healthcare for our families, and we go without proper care for our children.
Without these jobs we also stop spending and supporting the economy. With good
paying jobs we buy groceries, clothes, cars, houses and stimulate the economic
engine that drives America. We proudly pay our taxes that build and maintain our
infrastructure, schools, and social programs. In light of the current bleak
economic situation, America simply can 't afford not to approve the Keystone XLand put tens of thousands of Americans back to work. " - Reno Hammond,
Business Manager for the Southwest Laborers' District Council
(Wilsoncountynews.com.,9/28/11)
Finally, not only would the Keystone XL Pipeline bolster America's economy,
but it also would help strengthen our country's energy and national security by importing
stable, secure oil from our friendly neighbor Canada and allowing our nation to decrease
imports of higher priced "conflict oil" from regions such as the Middle East and
Venezuela, which are not friendly to the United States and do not share our values. We
respectfully note that this benefit of the Keystone XL Pipeline fits squarely within the
parameters of the energy security speech you gave on March 30, 2011, when you noted:
" ... we're still going to have to import some oil. It will remain an important part
of our energy portfolio for quite some time, until we've gotten alternative energy
strategies fully inforce. And when it comes to the oil we import from other
nations, obviously we've got to look at neighbors like Canada and Mexico that
are stable and steady and reliable sources."
Simply stated Mr. President, America needs the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is in
our national interest to have a Presidential Permit issued for Keystone XL as soon as
possible. America truly cannot afford to say "no" to this privately funded, $20 billion, jobs-creating infrastructure project, which would bolster our economic, energy and
national security. To that end, we respectfully urge you to ensure that the Presidential