LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mr. GARAMENDI. I am opposed.

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, this final amendment to the bill will not
kill the bill. Frankly, it will substantially improve it. It won't send
it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will come to the floor for a
vote later this morning.

We have heard a lot of discussion here about jobs in the Rules
Committee, and I thank the chair, Mr. Whitfield, for his interest in
this particular proposal and for the Rules Committee listening to the
debate very carefully about how we can significantly advance America's
national interest.

Natural gas is a strategic asset. It has allowed us to substantially
reduce our energy costs in the United States; replace, re-power many of
our power plants; bring down the cost; and, frankly, lead to an
increased manufacturing sector.

Shipbuilding is also a strategic national asset. Our Navy depends
upon it. However, 107,000 Americans work in the shipbuilding industry
in our ports and ship yards. It is a strategic asset, as are the
mariners. American mariners are also a strategic asset.

What we are trying to do with this amendment is to bring together
these three strategic assets of America and advance the American
economy and our national security at the same time.

This amendment would simply require that if we are going to export
liquefied natural gas, a strategic asset, then we should do it in a way
that advances our national security and our economy by requiring that
those ships be manned and ``womanned'' by American mariners, the
captains, the engineers, the sailors, that they be American.

This is a safety issue. Natural gas is a very volatile issue, and,
under current law, when it is imported, it has to have American
mariners on board.

Similarly, by requiring that the ships be American-built, we will be
able to employ several hundred thousand new men and women in our
shipyards. If it is about jobs--and we all claim this bill is about
jobs--then let's take it another step. Let's take it another step, so
that we really rebuild the American shipping industry, that we put
American mariners to work, that we revitalize our shipyards, so that
our U.S. Navy will be able to have a robust competition for their
ships.

There are 117 shipyards in the United States that build ships. None
of them, yet, build these tankers. They could if we pass this
amendment.

Let's build it in America. Let's make it in America. This is a
strategy that is employed by India, which has a tender out to buy gas
from the United States. That tender requires that three of the ships
used to transport that be built in India.

I say let's build the other seven in the United States. They want
American natural gas; build the ships in America.

We know that this is a big industry. Cheniere needs 100 ships when
they begin to ship natural gas, LNG, from their new terminal in Texas--
100 ships. Are those American ships?

No, not without this amendment. Those ships will be Chinese ships in
Chinese shipyards built by Chinese.

How about America? How about building it in America?

That is what this amendment is about. We can all agree that we want
American jobs. Is there one among the 435 of us who wants the jobs to
be in China or Korea or Japan? I don't think so.

Let's do it in America. This is an American-made amendment. This is
an amendment for American workers, American shipyards.

This is not going to kill the bill. This is going to make this bill
into a real ``Make It In America,'' a real American jobs bill with
hundreds of thousands of jobs spread throughout this Nation.

Mr. Chairman, work with us. Make this into a real, robust American
jobs bill. Adopt this amendment. Put aside the normal game we play with
MTRs, which is just kind of a Kabuki dance here.

Let's do it for the American workers, for the American shipyards all
across this Nation. That is what this is about.

This is an unexpected opportunity that has come about because of our
great natural gas industry here. Take advantage of it. Think about the
national security. Think about our shipyards, the U.S. Navy, the
mariners. Make it in America. Adopt this amendment.

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

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.

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