John Barrow

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Mr. BARROW. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of a motion to instruct the conferees on the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 to insist on title II of that act, which contains revisions of the North American Energy Access Act, essentially calling for the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline. Mr. Speaker, in these times of increasing security threats and economic uncertainty, the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline represents a win-win for America's national security and economic interests. Not only will this project create thousands of much-needed jobs, but it will secure America's energy future by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. By working with our neighbors to the north on an effort that ramps up our domestic energy production, we'll better protect families here at home from the effects of energy market insecurity caused by political and economic troubles in other parts of the world. Estimates vary, but the most conservative estimates predict that this jobs project will create 13,000 new construction jobs and an additional 7,000 manufacturing jobs. But that's not all, Mr. Speaker. The Keystone XL pipeline, when operating at capacity, will be able to move 840,000 barrels of oil per day into our domestic refining capacity on the domestic production market. To put that in perspective, America imports about 8.4 million barrels per day. The carrying capacity of this pipeline alone is 10 percent of America's net national daily imports. America consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day. The carrying capacity of this pipeline represents 5 percent of current U.S. daily consumption of oil products. The U.S. produces about 8.8 million barrels a day. This pipeline will have the capacity to bring in 10 percent more than what we're already producing on a daily basis here in this country. It also represents approximately a one-third increase in the total daily imports from Canada. And if that wasn't enough, the 840,000 barrels a day this pipeline carries comes real close to the 900,000 barrels that we import every day from Venezuela. I don't know about anybody else, but any policy in this country that private enterprise is going to lead the way on and pay for that can cause us to tell the folks in Venezuela, Good-bye, we'll see you later, that's good economic policy and good energy policy for this country. Mr. Speaker, we've held hearings on this matter. We've engaged the public and energy experts. We've checked and rechecked for environmental soundness and debated for hours on the floor of this House. After all that, what we're left with is a very well-vetted and, I think, worthwhile project that is ready to start construction. For the jobs and for the energy security, the folks I represent want us to get moving on this. We have an opportunity to make that happen in the highway bill conference that's currently under way. I encourage my colleagues to support my motion to instruct so we can send that message loud and clear to the conferees. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. BARROW. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, some have said that because we are inextricably part of a world market, because we consume more than we produce of this vital commodity that, therefore, we cannot legislate ourselves an island in this process; and since we both produce and consume and produce and export, therefore it follows from that that virtually anything we can get, any new source of conventional energy that we get is going to be a mere conduit, a pass-through to somebody else and a loss to us. I'd like to point out that we produce in this country some 12 million barrels a day. We export some 2.9 million to 3 million barrels a day. So there's both oil being produced in this country and exported, for a net annual production on a daily basis of 8.8. It does not follow from that that any new sources of energy that we get are going to flow right through this country someplace else. In fact, a study commissioned by the Department of Energy addressed the dynamic effect of limiting our access to unconventional sources of this energy in Canada and allowing that energy to go someplace else. And a study compiled for the Department of Energy pointed out what the perverse effect of this would be. If we deny ourselves access to this new source of Canadian oil, what will happen is it will go to other countries. And who will fill the gap? Middle Eastern and African OPEC countries will actually increase their shipments to this country. We'll become more dependent upon imports from folks that we don't want to rely upon if we deny ourselves access to those folks we do want to rely upon. In the words of the study commissioned for the Department of Energy, they would displace, the Canadian oil crudes would be lost to the U.S. market and go instead to Asia. They would displace the world's balancing crudes, Middle Eastern and African, predominantly OPEC grades, which would in turn move to the USA. The net effect would be substantially higher U.S. dependence on crude oils from those sources, the sources we want to wean ourselves off of. Finally, along this line, it's been said that because we're describing conditions in ordinary terms when the markets are working as we hope they will and as they should, we need to remember, we need to bear in mind there's always the possibility the world market will fail us. I'm old enough to remember a time in this country's history when we were embargoed. First, in 1973, because we came to the aid of our ally, Israel, in response to the Yom Kippur War, we were embargoed by the OPEC oil countries. Folks who supply a little more than a third of our imports today, at that time, cut us off completely. It happened before. It did happen again in 1979. We were embargoed a second time in the same decade. We need to bear in mind that while we're concerned about market conditions and the ebb and flow of product and consumption in ordinary times, we also have to gird ourselves for the possibility that we can be embargoed by our current vendors. And against that backdrop, access to North American oil, in time of emergency, can have a far greater impact on our economic and national security at that time than the conditions we're talking about and arguing about now in the ordinary course of events. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson).

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Kissell).

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining time.

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I encourage the conferees to include approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. It will get Americans back to work. And while we're developing the alternative energy sources of the future, it will reduce our current dependency on purchasing oil from countries that don't share our values. I understand the reasons why some folks are opposed to any new and unconventional sources of traditional energy that we rely on. The argument essentially is: More of the same means we'll increase our dependence upon a dirty source of energy. It will increase our dependence upon oil as the basic feedstock for transportation energy in this country. Mr. Speaker, you can't increase your dependence beyond 100 percent. We are 100 percent dependent upon oil and its byproducts for the transportation energy in this country. Unlike the energy we get out of the walls or off the grid or out of the light sockets, a whole bunch of different energy feedstocks go into that basic energy commodity--some of it's coal; some of it's natural gas; some of it's nuclear, like the plants we're building in my district at Plant Vogtle; some of it's wind and solar. We've got a lot of different energy feedstocks that go into the wires and we utilize in every other way. But the transportation energy in this country that we use to push all of our trucks, all of our cars, and all of our tractors, it all comes from oil. We've got all of our transportation eggs in one energy basket. You can't increase your dependence anymore than 100%. That's where we are. I understand that's what people's concerns are. But I think Secretary Clinton summed it up conclusively just a year and a half or so ago back in October of 2010 at a conference. Secretary of State Clinton was quoted as saying: We're either going to be dependent on dirty oil from the Persian Gulf or dirty oil from Canada until we can get our act together as a country and figure out that clean, renewable energy is both in our economic interests and in the interests of our planet. Until we do that, we're going to be getting our oil from one source or the other. As for me, as between the Persian Gulf on the one hand and Canada on the other, I choose Canada. Meanwhile, I am optimistic about the future of alternative, clean sources of energy, and I want to wean us off the use of foreign oil as much as anyone in this building. But we aren't there yet, we're not there now, and we're not going to be there in the foreseeable future. For as long as oil is our primary source of transportation energy in this country, we can't take it for granted, and we can't pretend that making it more scarce, or what's the same thing, making it more expensive is going to hasten the day we're no longer relying upon it just because we don't like it. Mr. Speaker, the folks that I represent expect us to vote for jobs and for energy security. We have an opportunity to do that with the transportation bill. I urge my colleagues to support the motion to instruct and to send that message loud and clear to our conferees. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, under rule XXII, clause 7 (c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 4348, the conference report to extend Federal highway programs. The form of the motion is as follows: Mr. Barrow moves that the managers on the part of the House at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 4348 be instructed to insist on title II of the House bill, regarding approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. It's with sadness that I rise to honor the life of Otis Brock, III, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 41. Otis's time with us was too brief, but his life serves as a shining example of service to others. A leader from the beginning, Otis was inspired by the example set by his parents, Otis J. Brock and Annette K. Brock, both prominent educators. After graduating from Sol C. Johnson High School and Savannah State University, Otis rose to become the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System's operations chief. Otis served in many civic capacities, but the accomplishment he took most pride in was the role of father. Otis and his wife, Nailah, are the proud parents of two young daughters, Zuri and Zoey, and are awaiting the birth of their third child. Otis, we thank you for your life and legacy. You will be missed.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, it's with sadness that I rise to honor the life of Anthony Dejuan Boatwright, who passed away at the age of 11 Sunday night. Juan was 14 months old when he was left alone at his day care center, fell into a bucket of water and bleach, and suffered irreversible brain damage. At that time, there was no law requiring Georgia licensed day care centers to carry insurance or even let parents know that they didn't carry insurance. That meant that despite being awarded a $30 million jury verdict, Juan's family couldn't collect the money needed to care for Juan's life over the past 11 years. Juan's mother, Jackie, has led a courageous effort to correct this injustice. And in 2004, Georgia enacted a law requiring that day care centers disclose their insurance status. Last Congress, Juan and Jackie's fight led the House to pass the Anthony Dejuan Boatwright Act so that families across America would never again experience the same tragedy. During the last 11 years, Juan inspired a movement to protect the safety of children everywhere. Juan, your mother and I thank you for your life. You will be missed, but your legacy lives on.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the 47th anniversary of Bloody Sunday to recognize the courage of our colleague, Congressman John Lewis, and the many forgotten heroes of the civil rights movement. Nearly 50 years ago in Selma, Alabama, some 600 demonstrators marched for equal voting rights for African Americans. They got only as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where State and local lawmen attacked them with clubs and tear gas and drove them back into Selma. Journalists captured the brutality of these attacks, sparking the public outrage that eventually led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This Sunday, Congressman Lewis returned to that very bridge that changed history. Again, he was met by a large group of police--but this time they served as his congressional escort. Mr. Speaker, we've come a long way in the last 50 years, but we still have a long way to go in order to ensure equality and justice for all, and I ask that my colleagues join with me in that work.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3521, the Expedited Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011. This bipartisan legislation will cut wasteful spending and reduce the deficit by reestablishing the principal of a line-item veto. It should come as no surprise to anyone that occasionally an unnecessary or wasteful expenditure makes its way into a spending bill. This bill increases accountability over those expenditures by giving the President the authority to identify specific wasteful spending and make Congress take an up-or-down vote on its merits. This legislation requires that all savings go directly toward deficit reduction. This legislation is a commonsense solution to cut wasteful spending and reduce our unsustainable deficit. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. It's a step toward getting our economy back on track and getting people back to work.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, this day marks a sad anniversary for many of the folks I represent. Four years ago today, a combustible dust explosion destroyed the Imperial Sugar plant in Port Wentworth, Georgia, killing 14 people and injuring more than 40 others. The sad truth is that this explosion didn't have to happen. Experts have known about the dangers of combustible dust for decades, and experts have developed industry standards that can prevent combustible dust explosions and fires. Unfortunately, these commonsense practices have not become the national standard despite preventable explosions and fires in Georgia and throughout America before and since. Today, on the fourth anniversary of this tragedy, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 522, the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires Act of 2011, introduced by Mr. Miller of California. This law would require the Secretary of Labor to promulgate standards for regulating combustible dust. We shouldn't wait until another disaster strikes. We owe it to the dead and the wounded to take action today so that disasters like the Imperial Sugar Plant explosion will never happen again.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, Juliette ``Daisy'' Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout troop in Savannah, Georgia. Daisy began with 18 girls in one troop in Savannah, but her movement has grown to include over 50 million American women over the past 100 years, including 3.2 million active members today. The Girl Scouts build character by engaging girls in community service, developing leadership skills, and preparing girls to take their place in the world. I know what I'm talking about because I have a twin sister, and she was a Girl Scout. I'm proud of the hard work of the girls and women who've been a part of the Girl Scouts movement, but I'm even more grateful for the positive influence this institution has had on millions of girls throughout America and the world. So I congratulate the Girl Scouts on 100 great years, and I wish them every success for the next 100 years.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the lifelong public service of my fellow Georgian, former Congressman Ed Jenkins. Congressman Jenkins was born in Young Harris, Georgia. He was a veteran of the Coast Guard and a graduate of Young Harris College and the University of Georgia Law School. Congressman Jenkins represented north Georgia in Congress for 16 years, serving on the Budget Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. His service and his approach to service are a good example for all of us today. Those who knew him and served with him remember him as a levelheaded workhorse and a zealous advocate for the interests of his district, especially the textile and poultry industries. More importantly, he was willing to work in a bipartisan way to do what he thought was best for his constituents and his country. After Congress, Ed Jenkins served as a member and as chairman of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Congressman Jenkins passed away on New Year's Day, but he is survived by a wife of 51 years, two daughters, two grandchildren, and thousands of friends and admirers. We've missed him a lot these last few years, and now we'll miss him even more.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of the Augusta Branch of the NAACP and to honor them as they celebrate their 38th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. For over a century, the NAACP has served on the front lines of change in America. So often when we recount their success, we think of the most prominent images of the Civil Rights Movement. We remember the heroes who marched peacefully and stood with dignity in the face of injustice. And we remember how they overcame those who hosed and humiliated college students and put dogs on women and children because of the color of their skin. But there has been--and always will be-- more to the NAACP than this chapter in the Civil Rights Movement. The NAACP has committed itself to shepherding the cause of equality and justice in America. In the 50 years before and since the sit-ins and marches that toppled Jim Crow, the NAACP has played a vital role in numerous communities to protect the political, educational, social, and economic rights of all persons regardless of color. The Augusta Branch of the NAACP in my home district was recently honored with nine awards at the Georgia State Conference NAACP Convention. Among their commendations were awards for overall outstanding contributions as well as recognition for accomplishments in social justice and increased membership. As a Life Member of the NAACP, it's a particular point of pride for me to see one of the NAACP branches that I represent recognized for their important contributions. I offer them my continued support and many more years of success in Affirming America's Promise.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, we all know that many senior citizens in our country have trouble getting the Social Security and Medicare benefits they've paid for throughout their working life, and many veterans have trouble receiving the benefits they've earned through their service and sacrifice in protecting our country. However, because of the hard work of my district staff, folks in my district recovered over $3.5 million in benefits that they were entitled to but were not getting from the Federal Government in just the last year alone. This shines a light on a big problem with our Federal Government. Our constituents shouldn't have to appeal to their Congressman to get the benefits they're entitled to. We need to work together to make the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs work better so that none of our constituents will have to get their Congressman to help them get their benefits. Until we get to that point, I'm proud that I have a talented and hardworking staff who may report to me but who work for the people of Georgia's 12th District.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Madam Speaker, I rise to encourage my colleagues to give a little something back this season to those who give so much. Every year we accumulate thousands of frequent flyer miles as we travel between our districts and Washington, DC. For the past several years, I've donated my frequent flyer miles to the Fisher House's Hero Miles Program, which provides free airline tickets to American soldiers and their families, and to the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children. Most of my frequent flyer miles this year came from congressional travel, and I don't think it's right to use them for myself. What I do know is that there is no better way for us to use our frequent flyer miles than to help troops and their families see each other, or to help sick kids get well. I encourage each of my colleagues to join me and donate the frequent flyer miles you receive for government-funded congressional travel to programs like the Fisher House and the Children's Miracle Network, and to do it this holiday season.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. I want to particularly thank the chairman for yielding me time to speak in support of the balanced budget amendment. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the balanced budget amendment, which I've supported since I first came to Congress. We all agree that our Nation's debt is unsustainable. Our economy is struggling, and folks everywhere are struggling to find work. But facts are stubborn things. And it's a fact that balancing the budget is essential if we're going to protect our future and the future of our children and grandchildren. Balancing the budget will also create the long-term stability our economy needs to fully recover. Amending our Constitution is not something to take lightly. We shouldn't do it on a whim or because it is politically expedient. Amending the Constitution is something that we as a Nation should undertake only when it is truly needed. Unfortunately, Congress has demonstrated time and again that it cannot and will not balance the budget on its own. It is truly needed now. Nearly every State in the Union has a balanced budget amendment. Families throughout America have to bring their income and outlays into balance, and so can the Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is bipartisan. It is responsible. It is the right thing to do. And I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me and the Blue Dog Coalition in supporting the balanced budget amendment.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight this week's passage of S. 894, the Veterans Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011. During this difficult economic time, it's more important than ever that we keep our promises to our veterans. This bill provides a cost of living adjustment to the disability pay of our wounded veterans. This well-earned increase will go a long way to help veterans make ends meet. This could not have been done at a more appropriate time as we're one week away from Veterans Day. I'm happy to see that my colleagues joined together in a bipartisan fashion to pass this legislation. Again, I commend my colleagues for standing together for veterans by passing the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, and I encourage my colleagues to continue to work together in a bipartisan fashion to keep the promises our country made to veterans when they first signed up.

Mr. BARROW

Mr. BARROW. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BARROW. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Many of the small business owners that I've talked to back home tell me that the biggest barrier that they face in starting up a business is securing access to capital. When traditional lenders aren't lending, we need to find innovative ways to get startup and expansion money in the hands of small business job creators. This bill uses the Internet to knock down some of the financial barriers that get between mom-and-pop startups and willing investors so they can get the money they need to grow their businesses and put more people to work. However, as with almost everything involving the Internet, new opportunities to do good bring new opportunities for mischief. We all agree that businesses and investors must understand the potential risks that come with these innovations. The bill requires that the SEC adopt regulations specifying the warnings and information that the issuer has to offer, but it leaves the content and the formatting of this information to rulemaking proceedings to be completed later, and it leaves open the possibility of inconsistent warnings and information for different investment opportunities. My amendment takes the bill's basic approach one step further by requiring that the offering contain a link to a site maintained by the SEC where the SEC will post a comprehensive set of warnings and safety tips to anyone who is about to use the Internet to raise capital without all of the hassle and the safeguards of a regulated SEC offering. This would provide a consistent set of warnings and avoid the inconsistent, unclear, or misleading messages that investors might get from different Web sites. Madam Chair, a word to the wise is sufficient, but too many words can obscure the information that folks really need. My amendment offers something better than a word--a link to the information that we all agree that investors should have available to them before they put their money down. Investors don't have to read it and they don't have to heed it, but it's there. And that's the least that we should do. Small businesses and the investment community stand to gain from this system, but only if everyone involved is on the same page about the potential benefits and the drawbacks. My amendment will help make sure that happens. I want to thank my colleagues for their work on this bipartisan bill, and I ask for your support in passing this job-creating, investor- protecting amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARROW. Well, I understand that our staffs have consulted with each other about the utility of this. I don't know how far they have gone with the SEC. But I can tell you the basic outline of this requirement is not to gum up the offering, not to require the issuer to put all kinds of stuff in the offering that can actually obscure the information that the offerer wants to put to the public and can allow the SEC basically to intrude into that offering, but to require one simple link where they can go and get all of the information that any wise investor needs.

Mr. BARROW. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I understand the gentleman to be concerned about the distinction between this type of offering and a public offering, and I wish to remind him of what perhaps wasn't clearly understood. The point we're trying to make here is an exempt offering. That does not have all of the rigamarole and the hassle and the fine print and all of the safeguards that go along with a public offering. It is because we're trying to provide the ease and convenience of an exempt offering while still providing the necessary information that folks have to have that we all are concerned about the investment warnings that the gentleman thinks we need to have in the bill. I agree with that. This is not a public offering. What we're trying to do, though, is to make sure that we don't exempt folks from having the information they might need to have before they make an investment in this entirely new and heretofore unregulated marketplace. The gentleman is also concerned about the fact that there is yet another Web site. We're just talking about a page here that can be readily linked so the person looking at the information that the issuer wants to make available to the public, they can just hit on one link, and they can go someplace else immediately and get all the information that they need or the information they don't need. They can read it or not read it.