Minimum Wage Fairness Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. MURKOWSKI. I wish to thank my colleague from North Dakota. I have had an opportunity to go to North Dakota and see firsthand how, in Senator Hoeven's State, they are embracing this energy renaissance we are seeing in this country--a renaissance that is truly allowing us to move forward with jobs and economic opportunity not only for the good of this country but really for the good of so many others.
When we are talking about our neighbors to the north in Canada--or if one is from Alaska our neighbors to the east--there is a recognition that the United States and Canada are really joined at the well, if you will. That is a term I have used quite frequently.
But when it comes to energy issues, there are 17 operating oil pipelines between the United States and Canada. There are another 30 electric transmission lines. There are 29 natural gas pipelines. This is all energy infrastructure that crosses the border with Canada--whether it is into Montana, Washington, North Dakota, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Idaho, Maine.
You have to wonder--you have to wonder--are not these all in the national interest? What is so unique, what is so compelling about this Keystone XL Pipeline that it is not only taking the 5 years of study that has already been done but is now on indefinite hold for yet further study?
So it causes one to kind of go back in time. Let's look at some of the pipelines that have been already determined as being in the national interest.
Back in August of 2009, the Department of State signed off on Enbridge Energy's Alberta Clipper Pipeline. When you look at what they did in signing off on that, it is exactly what we are talking about here with the Keystone XL. It said--and this is coming from the national interest determination on the Alberta Clipper. I ask unanimous consent to have that application printed in the Record.
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Ms. MURKOWSKI. Some of the things the Alberta Clipper line provided were increasing the diversity of available supplies. It shortens the transportation pathway for a sizable portion of our crude imports. It increases crude oil supplies from major non-OPEC countries. It allows our country to cooperate on best practices in technology. And then, finally, approval of the permit would send a positive economic signal, in a difficult economic period, about the future reliability and availabilty of a portion of U.S. energy imports.
These are not from the Keystone XL Pipeline. This is coming from the Alberta Clipper Pipeline, approved back in 2009, for exactly the same reasons that President Obama should sign off on the Keystone XL Pipeline and sign off now. It is in the country's best interests. It is clearly in the best interests of our friend and ally and neighbor to the north, Canada.
I think we recognize there is so much opportunity for us. But we need to get out of the way of the stops and the hurdles that have been placed by this administration--limiting our jobs, limiting our economic opportunities, and truly working to restrict our energy independence.
With that, I yield the floor, as I know several other colleagues wish to speak in the time remaining.
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