Keystone XL Pipeline Act

Floor Speech

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GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer an amendment to
this bill. Passage of this amendment will not prevent the passage of
the underlying bill. If it is adopted, my amendment will simply be
incorporated into the bill, and the bill will immediately be voted
upon.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know if a question is appropriate, but is this
February 2? Is this Groundhog Day? I am curious. This is the 10th time
this bill has been before the House, and those who are in support would
argue, ``Enough is enough. Let's pass it and get on with it.''

Those of us in opposition would say, ``Well, why haven't you written
a bill that is sufficient to the problems raised by the pipeline?''

Specifically, 10 times on this floor--and even additional times in
committee--the issue of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund has been
raised. We have raised that issue 10 times. It has been debated here on
the floor. I have heard five, six people speak to that issue.

The chairmen of the committee are well aware that this bill has a
huge loophole in it allowing one company that owns a pipeline to avoid
paying into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

Why in the world would we move a bill that allows this company,
unique among all others, to not participate in a very, very important
part of the protection of communities and the environment?

The Kalamazoo issue has been raised here--the spill. Over $60 million
was paid for by the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and then reimbursed
by the pipeline company.

Let's do something right. This is great fun: back and forth, back and
forth. We kick this thing around. We may get some political points on
one side or the other. But why in the world don't we write a decent
piece of legislation? Why don't we do it right? Why would we exempt one
company among all of the others of hundreds of pipeline companies and
allow this one Canadian company--and I love Canada, my son-in-law is a
Canadian.

This is about doing what is right. This amendment would simply
include this company being required to participate in the Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund. It is a lot of dollars. It is about $24 million a
year. That is a pretty good tax break. Who among us would not like to
have that tax break? I guess we are all going to stand up because we
want to have it.

The rest of the story is this: we have spent an enormous amount of
time on this issue when, in fact, as has been said here many times by
proponents and opponents, we ought to get on to real infrastructure.

Consider the time spent on this issue when you consider the time that
has been spent on transportation bills on this floor. Consider the time
that we must spend figuring out how to pay for repairing our bridges,
building our highways, our ports, our airports. Consider that time.

Ten times, this bill has been here. Ten times, this House has ignored
a tax break that is not warranted. It will allow to move forward to the
Senate a bill that, in its very substance, provides an unwarranted,
unnecessary, and grossly unequal tax break to one company among all the
other pipeline companies.

This amendment simply comes to the point of making sure that this
pipeline company, like every other petroleum pipeline company in America, pays
its fair share of the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is
essential.

I see some of my friends from Michigan here. You know how important
this is. The Kalamazoo River was a big deal--$60 million thus far and
more to come. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund was there to provide
the early money for the cleanup.

It is important, folks. My colleagues, this is important. Let's do it
right. This is our 10th time. Let's do it right. Adopt this amendment.
We clear up one problem in the bill. We remove one point of opposition,
and we do what is right.

I ask for your ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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GARAMENDI. Thank you so very much.

I have enormous respect for the two of you, and this issue has been
before us many, many times. If we wait for a comprehensive tax reform,
the tar sands may be totally eliminated and used up. We have an
opportunity today to get it done.

Mr. UPTON. Reclaiming my time, we understand that this will not be
part of a comprehensive tax reform bill. We need to act earlier than
that.

With the Senate now passing a bill, in all likelihood next week,
likely with an amendment addressing this situation, we can deal with it
as part of that conference report, and I look forward to supporting
that and the inclusion of such in the final package.

I would again urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the procedural
motion to recommit so that we can get to final passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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