Doc Hastings

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act. This important legislation would remove roadblocks to allow for the approval and construction of the Keystone XL pipeline--a project that is vital to America's energy future. The Keystone XL pipeline has been tied up in red tape by the Obama administration for nearly 5 years. Just over 1,700 days ago, the application to build this important energy project was submitted to the State Department, and for 1,700 days the American people have been waiting for the Obama administration to stop leading from behind. This bill will create tens of thousands of American jobs, it will lower energy prices, the building of it will invest billions of dollars into our economy, and it will make America more energy secure. The Keystone XL pipeline will transport over 800,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta, Canada, down to American refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. That's half the amount that the U.S. imports from the Middle East. This bill was approved by the Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support. The provisions under our jurisdiction will help ensure that the construction of this pipeline takes place in a timely manner without threat of lawsuit or unnecessary delay by the Secretary of the Interior. This important project has gone through extensive environmental reviews, including two separate EIS's and over 15,000 pages of NEPA reviews. President Obama's own State Department has stated that this project will have no significant impacts on the environment. There is no credible reason for the President to continue holding up this project. That is why this project enjoys bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. This is not a Democrat issue; this is not a Republican issue. Energy security and job creation is an American issue. This administration is the only roadblock that's standing in the way of American jobs, lower energy prices, and increased American energy security. The Northern Route Approval Act makes the Keystone XL pipeline a reality. It declares that no Presidential permit shall be required to approve this pipeline and prevents the Obama administration from imposing further delays. I urge my colleagues, Mr. Chairman, to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the subcommittee dealing with this legislation, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to a member of the Natural Resources Committee and a subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to another member of the Natural Resources Committee, somebody who understands the oil industry well, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I'm very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Montana, another member of the Natural Resources Committee, Mr. Daines.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I'm very pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Hurt).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, if I may inquire, did I hear that my friend from New Jersey has only one speaker left?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I hope that belief is true, then. You're waiting, I guess. So if the gentleman is prepared to close, I reserve the balance of my time, as I have one more speaker left.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I'm very pleased to yield the balance of my time to the majority whip, the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, May 13, to commemorate the 80th birthday of Congressman Sid Morrison, who for more than 50 years and counting has served our nation and the great state of Washington as a public servant. Sid's career has represented results- oriented government, bipartisanship and service to all with integrity and honor. His service began in 1966 when he was elected as a Washington state legislator, serving in the House until 1974, when he was elected to the Washington State Senate and served until 1980. During his time as a Washington legislator, he developed a reputation for taking on tough issues and reaching past politics to find bipartisan answers. In 1980, at the age of 47, he was elected to this great body and served in the U.S. Congress for 12 years, from 1981 to 1993. As a Member of the House, Sid worked on many issues including energy, water, forestry, agricultural markets and immigration. As a leader in Congress, he worked to ensure reliable energy supplies to support the energy needs of the nation, science and space research, advanced technology and providing the nation with a strong defense. Sid's congressional service also saw him as an advocate for civil rights, small businesses, people in need of organ donations, and the wide variety of needs of every citizen seeking help with the federal bureaucracy. Throughout his many endeavors since serving in Congress, Sid has been actively involved in federal policies to make Washington and our nation better for all citizens. He was appointed as Washington State Secretary of Transportation in 1993 and served until 2001. In that post, Sid spearheaded work for safer roads, new ferries to make Washington the nation's largest fleet, the rebirth of freight and passenger rail, transit expansion and airport improvements. During the last 10 years, Sid has worked on special projects for Washington governors and continues to serve on many public boards. He has been a leading voice on behalf of public power and consumer-owned utility service in Washington state through his work as the chair of the Energy Northwest Executive Board. He also serves in the water, agriculture and education arenas including: on the Yakima Basin Storage Alliance, Board Chair; on the State Fair Park Board; and the Central Washington University Board of Trustees Chair. Despite all the above, he is officially retired, but don't tell Sid that, as many of us seem to be moving in slow motion next to him. I have personal and professional respect and admiration for Sid. As he celebrates his 80th birthday, I wish him happiness and good health and my best wishes.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 527.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I thank the gentleman for bringing this amendment to the floor, and I intend to support it. With our fiscal situation in this country, this is a good addition to the amendment; and I thank the gentleman for bringing it forward.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment. While it is being sold as an attempt to protect contract and property rights, it does none of these things because there are no rights that are violated by this bill. What the amendment actually does is undermine the free-market competition that is embodied in H.R. 527 that will ensure a fair return to taxpayers on the Federal helium that is in the repository. This amendment seeks to guarantee a special carve-out for primarily three companies and thus block competition. For over a decade, these three companies have profited from helium handouts at low market prices that were granted to them by BLM. All of that ends, Mr. Chairman, in October of this year. These handouts end because the contracts say that when the money is paid back that the Federal Government has invested, these contracts end. So this amendment does not protect existing valid contracts because they expire in October. What the amendment actually would do is revise the expiring special handouts of these three companies. The amendment would shut down competition from other bidders who may be willing to bid for a higher price of the helium. I have a letter from three companies who jointly express strong opposition because it would prevent them in the future from bidding on this helium. And to be clear, there are no helium distributors or manufacturers of helium who are advocating for this amendment. It is just the three refiners. To repeat, H.R. 527 does not alter or end existing contracts. In the actual clauses of these contracts, it specifically stated that the contracts are contingent upon BLM continuing to have authorization to run the reserves. That ends in October. BLM has been selling helium at below-market prices, and I'll point that out later. But what this amendment really attempts to do is to end what should not be done. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), a cosponsor of H.R. 527.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Do I have the right to close?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself the balance of my time. The assertion is made that this violates contracts. I want to be very specific: current law says that when the debt is paid back, the contracts that are entered into expire. Therefore, we are not violating any contracts because on October 1 that will happen. Secondly, the pricing mechanism. I pointed out in opening remarks that the three refiners are the ones that are benefiting, and this chart shows how. This is what they are paying, the blue line. That's the bottom line. The red line is the market price. The yellow in between is what the refiners are accruing as far as profits are concerned. We're simply saying the market ought to dictate who gets that benefit, and that's precisely what H.R. 527 does. So this amendment simply prolongs the yellow, if you will, on this chart longer, and only three companies benefit by that. I don't think that's good for the taxpayers because the taxpayers are the ones that are failing or getting the low end of the deal with that yellow line. So while I understand where the gentleman is coming from, and I respect him for bringing this issue to the floor--it is good to have a debate on it--no contracts are violated under current law. I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I want to start by saying that the development of this legislation has truly been a bipartisan effort. I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey, who has been a leader in helping us bring this legislation to the floor. One of the main goals of H.R. 527 is to stop the imminent shutdown of the Federal helium program this October by establishing a new program to complete the privatization of the helium reserve. However, this action remains only a Band-Aid to our long-term helium supply. Helium, like many other resources, is something that requires significant investment and development to bring to market. While this bill will keep the helium flowing from the reserve, the future of the reserve is limited to only a handful of years. So the gentleman's amendment is really a question of what do we do next, and that's a good question. The idea that, when the reserve closes, America could be left at the mercy of Qatar or Russia for securing our domestic helium is not a prospect that we relish any more than being dependent on China for rare Earth materials. And yet no one thinks that the solution is for the government to jump back into the helium business. Instead, we need to continue our focus on this issue to prevent resource scarcity that could threaten our manufacturing and national security. While I understand there have been some initial conversations, I want to make it clear that this is not the last time that the committee will focus on the issue of helium. It is my intention that the committee examine other areas where we may be able to expand helium supply or promote additional steps for conservation. The report directed to be developed in this bill will help guide our effort forward, and the gentleman's amendment will add additional important questions to help provide us a path forward. But it is up to us to act and continue to focus on what is a critical national security and economic security concern: a secure, stable supply of helium. So I look forward to continuing to work with the gentleman from New Jersey as we seek these solutions, and I think his amendment adds to that prospect. With that, I support the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I thank the gentleman for bringing this amendment to the floor. He made the observation in his debate that this is something that we were talking about in the previous debate, because we're going to have to have more helium; and market forces, I believe, are one way to do that, and I think his amendment addresses that. I support the amendment.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.