Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pallone for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 3062, the Promoting Cross-border Energy Infrastructure Act.

My concern is that this bill is going to be bad for our national security interests, in addition to leading to rising costs that will ultimately harm consumers.

Currently, the State Department must sign off on all cross-border energy pipelines and power lines. However, this bill would remove that requirement so that FERC and the Department of Energy would have the final say on pipelines and power lines, respectively.

While FERC and DOE could consult with other appropriate Federal agencies, such consultation is optional.

If there is a disagreement between the State Department and the Department of Energy or the State Department and FERC, this bill says that our national security and diplomatic interests will take a back seat, and at the end of the day, FERC and DOE will make the final call on critical decisions that could impact international relations and national security issues.

It is disconcerting to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle call national security and diplomatic interests political, as the committees of jurisdiction have traditionally taken great pains to keep politics out of those agencies. More importantly, FERC and DOE simply are not equipped to have the final say on national security and diplomatic decisions.

As we have heard, this bill could also drive up costs for consumers at a time when many Americans are already facing rising costs and struggling to make ends meet.

It will allow modifications to projects without any need for a permit or environmental review. This means a developer can radically expand a cross-border pipeline without any Federal review.

It also specifically curtails the Federal review for pipelines from Texas to Mexico that carry natural gas to Mexican LNG facilities.

These provisions would facilitate increasing LNG exports, which have been shown to drive up prices for American consumers.

Mr. Speaker, for the sake of our consumers, our national security interests, and the future of our planet, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 3062.

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