Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARKEY. I thank the gentleman. This bill is an environmental atrocity. The majority has allowed an unrelated amendment that would forbid the EPA--forbid them--from requiring the safe disposal of toxic coal waste that contains arsenic, mercury, and chromium. And the majority has allowed an amendment that would provide massive exemptions from the National Environmental Policy Act and smothers the ability of communities to have input into projects that could create toxic nightmares in local neighborhoods. This is what the Republicans are doing out here today. ``EPA,'' Every Polluter's Ally, that's what they want to turn it into.

So what we have on top of that is a provision to build the Keystone pipeline through the United States of America from Canada, the dirtiest oil, by the way, in the world, bring it through the United States, and then to bring it to Port Arthur, Texas.

Now, what goes on in Port Arthur, Texas? Very interesting. I think it's important for the American people to know what happens there. Last year, 73 percent of all of the gasoline that was refined in Port Arthur and in the Houston area was exported out of the United States. Understand what I'm saying? This is oil that was found in the United States, drilled for in the United States, sent down to Texas, refined down there in the Houston and Port Arthur area, and then they exported it. And where did they export it to--our oil, United States oil? They exported it to China, to the Communists.

The Republicans are here blocking an amendment that makes it possible for us to stop the oil from the Keystone pipeline from being sent to the Communist Chinese. Now, I hear gentlemen out here charging President Obama with being a Socialist, but who would engage in this kind of activity, to pretend that they want to have oil for the United States and for our citizens, and then when I ask for an amendment to ensure that all the oil that comes through the Keystone pipeline stays in the United States, the Republicans say, Oh, no, you're not making that amendment; we're going to tie your hands, Mr. Markey; you can't make the amendment; we don't want you to make us be prohibited from selling this oil to the Communist Chinese?

Now, ladies and gentlemen, that's just wrong. That's wrong. That oil is American oil. That oil should stay in the United States. If we're building this pipeline, it should stay here in the United States. We should not be exporting American oil, with gasoline prices at $4 a gallon, to China and to Latin America.

That's what this whole plot is about, by the way. This is a plot to build a pipeline down to Port Arthur, Texas, tax free, and export that oil out of the United States. That's why the amendment I requested has not been put in order.

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