in order to prevent irreversible harm to the climate. to help us make that transition there's no shortage of water and sewage pipe lines that need to be fixed or replaced bridges and tunnels in need of emergency repairs and transportation infrastructure that needs to be renewed and developed. there are jobs that can be

created in the energy conservation and upgrading the grid maintaining and expanding public transportation. jobs that can help us reduce air pollution coming greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency. it's past time for major new deal type public investments in infrastructure modernization and repair, energy conservation and climate protection as a means of putting people to work and leaving the foundation for a more sustainable economic future for the united states. this is just sound science and sound economics. increasing our reliance on the tar sands would take us in the opposite direction. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. >> my name is danny marshall i

member of the student clammed coalition an organic farm worker from southern maryland. when i look at d.c. i see the front lines of politics from a political system where money buys power and the people are ignored a system are so-called public servants house corporations assist them with a long-term well-being of the public trust is ignored in favor of the short-term profits of the already wealthy. it is a full system that we cannot fix immediately but we can take a step in the right direction. you have an opportunity to break the cycle and say no to corporate interest. you can say our environment is more important in corporate profits and we will not sacrifice it. you can give the country back to the people who love it dearly. say no to corporate greed and yes to the public need, no to the keystone xl pipeline and yes to true energy independence. yes to the clean energy future based on the renewables built in this country by the american

labor creating temporary jobs and shifting energy a rod is not conducive to building a productive america. nor is it conducive to energy security and independence. break the political cycle, break the collusion between corporate interest in the government decision makers and build a better and brighter american teacher. [applause] >> i am weary schweiker president and ceo of the national wildlife federation. the federation is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization supported by 47 states kaput, affiliate's and members across america. keystone pipeline jeopardize as americans conservation heritage, the likelihood of landowners across the path and precious resources upon which many in this country depend. and a presidential permit should not be granted.

the question being asked is whether this pipeline is in the national interest. the answer is pretty simple. for me as a father and grandfather spoiling the planet from our children's future is not in the interest. trillions of dollars of extensive canadian all you is not in the national interest. leaving our kids with a superheated plan met with a super sized oil spill is not in our national interest. i wonder what national interest means to the have fenestration. our measuring stick is very clear. what we should be doing is for our kids and grandkids the natural world we leave them. i'm troubled by what the state department seems to be using as its measuring stick. but e-mail traffic that has been covered makes it clear the cozy relationship with the corporations pushing this project and secretary clinton passed judgment long ago that this pipeline is a good thing for america without ever talking to the landowners who are affected by this project without

talking to the first nation of people without talking to the experts who know that this is a dangerous pipeline and a terrible idea. it says a lot that she is not here today. i don't think think she's ever sat down with the opponents of the pipeline but is meeting today with corporate leaders including the corporation that is encouraging investments in the tar sands pipeline. keystone xl is an important decision for the obama administration. this the department's final environmental impact statement for the keystone would increase america's pollution output the equivalent of adding 4 million new cars to the roads. president obama should stay the course and be remembered as the clean car president cannot change years and become a dirty fuel president. president obama needs to step in on this and make a decision based on the evidence and not allow this decision to be made by the secretary of state and anyone at the state department of the interest.

it's the right thing to do for wild life and the right thing to do for families along the pipeline route and its most especially the right thing to do for our children's future. i personally witnessed tar sands impacts in canada and solve the unclaimed mining sites that have been talked of here in the reverse the destruction of the force contamination and error contamination for the first nations people and more importantly for their future. keystone xl -- >> i regret to say we are almost out of time. >> let me conclude by saying this is an important decision for not just americans future but the future of the will and president obama needs to show leadership on this issue. thank you. [applause] [cheering] >> i am rachel e-g-g-e-b-o from grand cooperative electric in south dakota and i here today to

voice my support for the keystone xl pipeline. [applause] i, along with the general manager and board of directors of grand electric believe that the pipeline will enhance the default mode of the natural resources in the area and ensure the development of u.s. resources. we believe purchasing oil through transcanada through a friendly neighboring nation is far better than to continue to purchase oil from unstable and on friendly middle east countries. i agree all safety issues need to be addressed and protocols need to be implemented. however also believe that the federal and state agencies have done their job and will place adequate restriction requirements on transcanada to ensure that the pipeline does not pose an unreasonable risk or exposure. what does the pipeline to for the domestic energy production? in january, 2011, transcanada closed a successful open season

which resulted in a long-term commitment of 65,000 barrels of oil a day that would be moved into the pipeline at and on land that would be built near baker montana. the 65,000 barrels of oil will be pumped from the formation within the base and in north dakota. in a september 22nd edition of the oil patch hot line which is an online newsletter that reports on the oil activity in the north-central united states north dakota governor stated that within the next two years north dakota could be producing as much as 700 barrels of oil per day. if north dakota does indeed produce 700,000 barrels per day and 25% were to be moved into the pipeline, we would be moving approximately 175,000 barrels of north dakota or yield down the

pipeline everyday. what does this do for south dakota? diebold quote the statistics i can say i have personally seen the numbers impacting the state of south dakota and in terms of increased employment, income and tax revenue. and it is definitely good for south dakota. and it is definitely a step towards energy independence and barrels of oil we don't have to purchase from an unstable middle east country. therefore i respectfully urge you to conclude the review process and approve the presidential permit. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> now i would like to call number 27, david collier, 28, charles, number 29, doug hardy and number 30, jack. >> good morning.

i'm dave c-o-l-l-y-e-r of the canadian association of petroleum producers. let me start by being clear about why i'm here. it's clearly for the u.s. to decide whether it is in america's national interest. our interest is in making sure the decision is based on object if analysis and is as well informed as possible, and that is a bit like to offer five points for your consideration. first, in our view this is not tall about the u.s. using more oil. the question is where is it to be sourced from. canada or elsewhere. and in our opinion, you are much better served by sourcing that increased oil, increased in terms of the portion of oil that is being used in the u.s. from canada, but rather than foreign sources. this is about energy security for north america. canada has the third largest reserves of crude oil and would

supply about 20% of its imports. we got the opportunities to significantly grow that volume over the next ten to 15 years and we would like to do so and we would like to sell it to the united states. third this is about job creation. the flip of the wheel sands and the related infrastructure has a potential and is currently creating tens of thousands of jobs in both canada and the united states. we've identified in excess of 2400 companies in 49 states in the united states that currently supply goods or services to the oil sands development of the related infrastructure and there is an opportunity to grow that number with approval of this project. fourth, this is about continuous improvement and environmental performance. we stand by the record. and i must, while i fully respect the concerns that have been expressed with respect to health intact some the local

communities i must point out that there have been several reputable studies conducted with respect to the impact of the oil sands on local communities and there has been no demonstrated linkage or relationship. i also want to highlight the independent quality analysis has been conducted by an independent expert has also concluded the oil sands quality has no impact, no detrimental impact on pipelines of any different or can be differentiated from that of other transport in the u.s.. and fifth, this is about a comprehensive federal and provincial system in canada. as an industry we are held to a high standard so we expect of ourselves that's what our government and expects and that is what we believe customers in the united states expect and we will continue to be held to that high standard and to perform to that standard. so in closing, any review the projects national interest i ask

you to consider environmental performance, economic benefits and energy security and reliability. our view to this approach stands extremely well on all of those counts and we ask you to consider each one of them. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> good morning. my name is charles, b-a-r-n-a-r-d and by speaking on my own behalf. i am now from virginia, but i grew up in northern montana within 40 miles of port morgan where the keystone xl pipeline is proposed to enter the u.s. on in here today in support of the pipeline. i believe that keystone xl -- [applause] is in our country's national

interest. it will improve our national security, contribute to a long-term stable energy supply for the united states and create jobs. the pipeline will provide oil to the refineries along the texas gulf coast, reducing our dependence on oil imports from unreliable overseas sources. bye supporting domestic production and by importing oil from canada instead of from overseas countries, we will strengthen with our national security and our energy security. the pipeline is expected to create thousands of u.s. jobs in the near term as well as provide billions in tax revenue in the corridor states. keystone xl will join thousands of miles of pipeline already working efficiently and productively in the u.s.. thank you. [applause]

>> thank you. >> good morning. ibm doug hardy. ehud she the opportunity to a pity i am testifying on behalf of myself as a resident in montana and as the manager of the central montana electric power cooperative based in great falls, montana, feeding the supply to the rural cooperatives. i will not quote the statistics of the tens of thousands of jobs created a directly and indirectly that will share the reasons i believe this plan is in the nation's interest. one is energy independence. i will paraphrase how that was hit fairly hard. this pipeline is not just about canadian oil. the on ramp in the baker area has some of the nicest oil you would ever like if you could like we'll. the on ramp many thousands of barrels a day we look at that as a way to get it to market and

decrease the dependence on foreign oil but clearly if we can decrease dependence throop less usage that's great we still need imports. we can decrease the use it on more domestic we still need imports. let that come from a friendly nation, one that supports us, not to seize the demise of our society. the energy rates drive our economy. energy prices go up, the economy goes down. shorter of the need for factors jobs are lost to an energy price go up. we have seen that in our area. it is a fact that low-cost of energy has attracted many industries to the pacific northwest from a standpoint of jobs having affordable energy is critical. to maintain the economy and not lose jobs. on local level, much of our education funding in montana is from the property tax from homeowners and industries all around the tax basis would create tremendous, and the

dollar not only fun this university systems, it forms also the state and local schools and helps the people afford what you're doing and it is properly educating our countries. and in education it is a never-ending issue. bottomline, tankers bringing oil from other countries have environmental risks, but they don't pay any taxes to local communities for schools. the pipeline brings the wheel, too, and absolutely helps local schools and county governments that it goes through. and in our area, we have got hundreds of easements we haven't condemned the people have been supportive. it's interesting that we find how unsupportive people are in montana who may have never been there. lastly as they relate to families by the last point it's critical to meet a new export as

a person to be a good member of the family i do know i see people that have high self-esteem that are wonderful productive members of society who upon a job loss lose self-esteem and are no longer as productive in society and the weak economy give societal problems all over the place with regards to self-esteem by want my daughters and grand kids to have jobs that our quality as we read ourselves to more independent. thank you very much. >> thank you. [applause and booing] >> now we would like to call father jack j-h-e-k-o-c-h-o-w-s-k-i. i am representing the franciscan action network which is a leading place in the united states advocating for social and environmental justice.

representing the power and light. all of these organizations oppose granting permits for the keystone xl pipeline. we find this project morally indefensible. the project will lead to the massive expansion of the extraction of the non-conventional fossil fuels. this is a very dangerous move. our prolonged addiction to the dirty fossil fuels have put us on the cusp of radical and irreversible changes to the earth's atmosphere. we are already witnessing glaciers melting and sea level rising and increased of walls and droughts millions of people being displaced. rabun laws of the biodiversity. the survival of billions of people is at stake and as much as half of the earth's species are being wiped out can be wiped out by the end of the century.

there's another reason why the tar sands pipeline is morally inexcusable. it will endanger the community, threaten one of the largest aquifers of the continent and imperil the lives of the people that depend on it. also it is the poor, the vulnerable and the voiceless that are being bearing the brunt of the global climate change that would be greatly intensified by the full-scale operation. as many could face the tuition in hong girl over the world approving the pipeline run the risk of condemning the poorest of the world to desperate struggles for food and survival. the tradition holds up the sacred missiles all life and has a profound value and meaning.

we share with the rest of god's creation of only the common origin but destiny. the christian tradition teaches that human families can find true peace, security only when we live together as brothers and sisters and integrity and justice and harmony with the earth. a debate over the keystone xl pipeline also being formed by the values of all, of solidarity, of special concern for the poor and vulnerable, the common good of all of god's's creation. the keystone pipeline is being to america's energy needs to spur job creation. it is a dangerous mirage. the economy exists within the limit of the natural -- >> server -- author, i mean, the time is coming to an end. i would invite you to put your comments to the table. spent on behalf of the network and interfaith power light i urge the state department and president obama to denied a

permit for the tar sands pipeline. the deadly addiction to the dirty fossil fuel will be devastating for life on the planet, for people and the economy. this is immoral, and it's not in the national interest of the united states. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> now number 31. number 32, jane, number 33, roberts, and number 34, keith. thank you. >> buenos diaz. thank you for the opportunity to speak at this hearing. i am dr. mary c-a-s-t-e-l-l-a-n-o-s, and i am a christian minister in the united church of christ and i come not only as a clergyperson,

as a former scientist, bird watcher, and someone who passionately loves god's blessed creation. i also come on behalf of the many children who ideally love. i want them to enjoy nature and all of the creative order that i have in all of the glory and believe that god made. in a recent letter to president obama, nine nobel peace laureates wrote, and i quote, the might your nominated for president, you told the world that under your leadership the rise of the oceans would begin to slow and the plan that would begin to heal. if the president, sends to the keystone pipeline he would break not only his promise, but the hearts of millions as well.

when i studied moral theology were christian ethics we were taught to look at issues through the several criteria under different lenses. i can assure you that this issue as the father just explained so well is every angle and under every criteria. how can the destruction of the forest, the lungs of north america for the sake of profit bea ethical? how can we justify pushing all of the birds that nest in that forest to extinction which would surely have been because so many of them are already threatened. or endangering the source of drinking water for millions of people or endorsing an extraction process that causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution and leaves behind the enormous deposits of toxic waste and is permeated by the stench

of corporate greed. this is not moral, this is not ethical, this is not who we are. as a nation, we like to think of ourselves as a high moral ground people. approving this pipeline will surely question our perception of ourselves. over this year, fourth of july weekend, a 12-inch pipeline broke at the bottom of the yellowstone river spilling crude that covered more than 10 miles of the same waterway. what was an oil pipeline doing believed in yellowstone river? i frantically asked and found out -- >> unfortunately our time is at an end. may i ask you to finish up with a sentence. >> i would like to say there is

a racial divide in this room, and it breaks my heart because study after study, sponsored by my church, the united church of christ tells you that the waste of all toxic developments usually winds up in african-american latino american communities. [applause] don't allow a false sense of gain to divide the people. we always stand to lose. [applause] >> thank you very much. >> hello. my name is gina and i am from hastings, nebraska. i stand here today with the daughter of a rancher i hope you will allow me to split my time

with. we are the pipeline fighters. we are the sand hills lovers. we are the aquifer lovers and we are begging you, not asking, we are digging you to deny this pipeline permit. every day we fight in askari elected officials to stand up for us to do the right thing and change the path of this pipeline. is going through the most fragile parts of our state, the sand hills and it is crashing through the aquifer which provides drinking water for not only our state, but for the very food that we eat every day as farmers and ranchers. and so we are begging do not stand for the foreign oil corporation. stand with americans. stand with nebraskans, stand

with our families and please come denied this permit. [applause] spec - laura l-u-e-c-b-e i live in a ranch south of nebraska and i know for many people in here home is a place where you go, it is your sanctuary and safe place. it's where you can be yourself, and to have a foreign company come in and try to take that away from you and everything you have you lived for and worked so hard to make it through and they try to take away it really hurts. these workers sit here and laugh and it really hurts they think they can do that and they don't realize how hard we work to give them food and make a living. i know everybody works hard but it's not the easiest job in the world. i do the best i can to work out there and make a living for

myself. i pay my own self phone bill and everything and i work for that. and i know we all work for money but there's so many other ways and better jobs we can do than put a pipeline that just going to hurt american and cause health problems and stuff like cancer. i don't want to have to deal with that, i don't. i urge the president and hillary clinton not to put this pipeline and. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause and booing] we will submit this and you can boo all you want but we will submit this armband first president obama and psychiatry clinton to the pipeline fighters and the san hills lovers. we're depending on you and counting on you. [applause] >> my name is emay roberts and i

hear as a citizen concerned about the future of my country, and particularly about the world that my two and a half-year-old niece will inherit. as we are hearing the stories of people have been suffering from an citing the tar sands development which is endangering their way of life as well as the facts that scientist dr. james hansen has called the voltmann of the tar sands game over for the climate i knew i had to take a stand. along with 1,252 other people, i was arrested outside the white house last month to let president obama no i want him to say no to the keystone xl pipeline. i traveled to ottowa last week to support our friends in canada supporting the keystone xl and the dirty dangerous tar sands development. there's a lot at stake today. we're at a critical juncture and we have a great opportunity to change the past we've been on. approving the keystone xl pipeline would perpetuate the broken system in which corporations and do not see

consent to instruct from the people and from the earth. in this dirty fossil fuel system by prioritize over people and the self-interest of corporations over justice for all. building this pipeline creates clear winners and losers. the winners of the tar sands industry and their investors and the losers are the rest of us are children, future generations and life on the planet. many people including president bush and obama have discussed our addiction to leal. the way to cure an addict is not giving them an even lower grade version of their drug of choice. renewable energy is clearly the better option. we don't want to wait -- we don't need to wait 20 years to deploy a silver bullet technology. we can deploy currently existing technology we simply need the political will to make the necessary changes equal to the magnitude of the problem. no one can deny the tremendous power of the fossil fuel industry. the industry takes generous tax

payer subsidies and repays the public by giving children asthma, poisoned water, polluted air, misinformation campaigns and irreversible climate change. this influence extends beyond human and environmental impacts reaching into the political process. the contractor for transcanada or in the public hearing along the proposed route of the pipeline. this contractor even drafted the state department's environmental impact statement and an obvious conflict of interest. the future that we will all share depends upon the moral choice is made today. as you take this opportunity on the renewable energy path by rejecting the tar sands pipeline remember ecology is the foundation for the economy and all white. say no to the keystone xl pipeline and move towards a just and equitable future for all. thank you. >> thank you for a match. [applause]

>> the person who held number 34 has ceded their place to me. my name is susan c-a-s-e-y l-e-s-k-o-w-i-t-z and by representing the 1.3 million members and activists of the natural resources defense council, and i want to first applaud the speakers we have heard today. these are deep issues on both sides that a pipeline like this raises up, and i'm going to speak to one very specific point and that is yesterday 218 business leaders from across the country sent a letter to president obama calling on him to reject the keystone xl tar sands pipeline as not being in our economic interest. business leaders and investors have a stake in the queen energy economy are sending a clear message netz tar sands keystone xl pipeline will move forward with clean energy jobs and investments. it is not in our economic

interest to support expansion of the tar sands oil industry. providing input into the national interest determination process are around the pipeline in this letter these business leaders find come and record, permitting the keystone xl pipeline is a long-term investment in the oil one of the most carbon and water intensive fuel under development. it's constructed it will undermine the u.s. commitment to a transition to a clean and sustainable energy future. the latter provides a solution we urge you to reject projects that are so detrimental to america's clean energy cony by finding the keystone xl pipeline is not in our national interest. coming from business owners, investors, economists and others who are deeply committed to america's chief of clean energy economy this letter should carry a lot of weight in its national land trust determination process. the signatories of the letter are members of a group called environmental entrepreneurs with

which the natural resources defense council works very closely. it's a nonpartisan national committee of members who manage over $90 billion in private equity capital that nourishes our economy. each member has a stake in this issue. they are the ones on the front lines in the united states helping us to achieve the clean energy company by investing in the companies and creating jobs. they are concerned with tar sands's expansion. america will be going after a source of oil that as you have heard actually undermines jobs in the country. they are concerned that tar sands will increase dependence on ever more expensive and risky forms of oil and concerned that despite the energy security arguments made by the pipeline proponents endangers american economic interests by exporting tar sands abroad and they know from their own investments and experience this is the time for us to stay committed to american

ingenuity and american clean energy business jobs and investments. the business community is sending a clear message to the administration. thank you for listening and we will be submitting of the record. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> now we are going to call 35 and then 36, 37, john elwood and number 38, laura standard. >> thank you. >> thank you madam chair. my name is bill, chief i come from northern canada north of the tar sands development. we are downstream. we have 30 communities in the population in the area possibly 50,000 people. we have peace and friendship treaties with great britain as

our original people we enter into those agreements because canada as a young country did it have the authority to sign the treaties. it's part of the commonwealth and they have to adhere to the legal agreements that we have come and in fact the resources you talk about here is still in question because when we entered into those agreements we never extinguished the oil or the other resources but on those lands and those are part of treaty number eight which i am a member of. thank you for this opportunity. i want to present to you when i finish in a court that was put together called the mother earth accord put together a month ago on the rosebud indian reservation with tribal leaders, first nation leaders and property owners from the u.s. because of the concern that we

have attached to this there are 60 to 70 endorsements letters and some were from across the country and actually internationally. the accord outlines our concerns so i will give that to you formally. what i want to say to you is we have some of the largest fresh water in the world where we come from. the water comes downstream and what happens to the process is that a large amount of water is used to process the oil and the water than is no longer usable afterwards because it is put into ponds with toxic waste which then lead to the environment and come downstream to us. we find with the amount of water used our water levels have dropped at least 10 feet.

we also are very concerned about the quality and other people have spoken to that. what we want to say is that this is not in the canadian interest. this is not in the american interest in our view this will go to the refineries in texas than out to the world to the highest bidder. that doesn't assist any of us. we believe that president obama has an opportunity here to put the bush of penetration plans as i and to begin in a new way. in the final point i would like to make that we are very concerned that the canadian industry and the canadian government in particular are promoting this project. they should not be doing that. if this project is sound and has merits it will stand on its own. thank you very much. >> thank you. [applause]

>> i'm the senior vice president for government affairs for the league of conservation voters which work with an environmental value prayer ready. thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the members across the country. we joined the mayor's, scientists, nobel peace laureate, unions, landowners, religious leaders and millions of others across the country in urging the police department to deny a permit to build the pipeline. this pipeline would transport tar sands leal, the dirtiest oil on the planet which is why as i speak there's a large rally right outside the building to protest the construction. it would threaten the entire met with far more global warming pollution that conventional crude oil. it is in direct conflict with the many positive steps the administration has taken to reduce global warming per pollution. for example the protection agency has estimated that this pipeline could add an additional 27 million metric tons of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere in 2018 which is like adding an

additional 40.8 million cars to the road. this would clearly offset the emissions reduction achieved by the recently proposed tailpipe for the medium and likely trust. in addition to being disasters when it comes to combat in the global climate change, this pipeline would also jeopardize the surrounding communities, ecosystems and watershed. there's been all too many recent reminders of the threat from the oil spills which are exacerbated by tar sands oil and its more corrosive and increase of than conventional crude oil. fred siegel, the original pipeline has already had least 14 spills in the united states in canada. a series of stills could contaminate the midwest aquifer others have spoken eloquently about. for the reasons i mentioned in for so many others, this pipeline is simply not in the national interest to read to the contrary it is just another harmful proposal pushed by the big zero yolly and its allies in congress to promote the energy

policies of the past rather than pursuing clean energy solutions that would create jobs, improve the national security and protect the planet from global warming pollution. it is time to break the dependence on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels once and for all. we urge the state department to deny the permit to build the keystone tar sands pipeline. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. my name is john emay to e-l-w-o-o-d to refine an evangelical christian, an elder of the presbyterian church of america, a board member of the evangelical network and today i represent the institute, green face new jersey and the national interfaith power and light. roughly 100 million americans identify themselves as evangelicals. we believe that the gospel compels us to care for the

created world that god created all things, that he made mankind with a special mandate to care for all that he has made. that the creation whether pure or despoiled is the inheritance of our lord, jesus christ, and in a world where degradation of the earth is responsible for much hunger, sickness and conflict, we hear the command of jesus to serve the hungry, homeless and the oppressed as the least of these brothers. for these reasons, our faith compels us to urge our leaders as we follow christ not to proceed with the proposed pipeline project we take this position for the following reasons. first, the exploitation of the tar sands threatens to severely harm human health especially among indigenous peoples. both by the devastation of the tracks of canadian ancestral lands and waterways and by highly likely future threats to

american waterways and dhaka first to the two -- aquifers with lifecycle greenhouse gases that the epa has estimated to be eda to present a greater than comparable emissions from the conventional petroleum as such they are vulnerable people all over the earth. a third come at the time we need to invest heavily in the non-carbon polluted energy solutions, the last exploitation of the on conventional fuels such as the tar sands represents a huge step backward leading up economy to on usually dirty fuel for generations. fourth, without the pipeline, the damage from the tar sands operation will be restricted for years into the future. its expansion depends on this

project. fifth, the job creation and the energy independence touted by promoters of the pipeline or illusory. among the scores of falls the ignore the job killing impacts of increasingly severe droughts and floods and clearly stated plans by the multinational oil companies to export the tar sands product and not use them in the united states. when we consider these factors the tar sands pipeline directly or indirectly contributes which are contrary to the kingdom of god harming his creation and threatening the balance to which he has blessed the earth and its people. thank you very much. >> thank you for your comments. [applause] >> my name is dr. laura skinner with cornell university's global labor institute school of

industrial labor relations. thank you of the opportunity to speak today. cornell released a report last week examining the claims made by the transcanada corporation and the american petroleum institute. transcanada, the american petroleum institute and others claim keystone xl is a 7 billion-dollar project would create 20,000 direct construction and manufacturing jobs and 119,000 indirect jobs. however, the analysis of keystone xl found that transcanada's numbers are unsubstantiated and that the project would occur produce far fewer jobs than the clean in fact the carefully and our comprehensive analysis reveals construction of keystone xl may destroy more jobs than it creates. i want to underscore the main points that explain why the construction of keystone xl may destroy more jobs than it creates. first, transcanada claims that keystone xl is a 7 billion-dollar project. actually, keystone xl's u.s. project budget is only 3.3 billion. transcanada has inflated the

u.s. project budget by including one planned 6 billion that will be spent in canada and approximately 2.6 billion that has already been spent or committed for the project. in reality, keystone's u.s. project budget is less than half of what transcanada claims and this means a lot less jobs will be created. second, steel pipe is the material in port for keystone xl. to date, transcanada has already been defector almost 50% of the pipe outside of the u.s. even though they claim keystone xl would create 7,000 manufacturing jobs in the u.s.. transcanada has made significant investment in the pipe that has largely created economic activity in the jobs outside of the u.s.. third, according to transcanada's data supply for the state department, the project would create no more than 2,500 to 4,650 temporary direct construction jobs for two years, and only ten to 15% of the total keystone work force would be hired locally. fourth, because of the pipeline,

the midwest consumers would pay ten to 20 cents more totaling two to 4 billion additional cost in the midwest economy. just one year of the fuel price increase as a result of the keystone diverting oil from the midwest refineries would cancel out some or all of the jobs created by the project. transcanada has ignored the the would have a huge and pet on the environment and the economy through skills, skills and the fresh water supplies or increases in the greenhouse gases and other pollutants. put simply, pipelines bills, pollution and climate change incur huge cost and destroy jobs. i want to conclude by saying that the number of jobs that can be created by the construction of keystone xl is by no means insignificant. especially to the working people that receive these jobs. however, the u.s. is currently facing a serious unemployment problem and this problem should not be trivialized by transcanada corporation vastly overstating the number of jobs

created by keystone xl. [applause] transcanada -- >> man if you could -- >> transcanada and the proponents of keystone xl have done injustice to the public by raising expectations for jobs that simply cannot be met. the u.s. needs a jobs plan but keystone xl is not eight. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> i would like to call number 39, susan connolly, number 40 marchi, number 41, debra lynn and number four, david friedman. thank you. >> im susan connolly, c-o-n-n-o-l-y were close to 1 million gallons of crude built in the kalamazoo river. i am here today as a voice of the community that has been affected by this bill. it occurred right in the middle

of some of the most sensitive wetland areas in the state. i like to present a cd to you that illustrates the impact of the tar sands spell. 14 months of past with questions left unanswered and residents concerned lingered to this day. it's not a matter of if but when will the next pipeline break occurred and where these questions must be on your mind. when it occurred first responders of officials were caught off guard a lack of training and lack of communication and failure to properly affect coupled with all of the unknown lit to this tragic event i say i know because this was the first of its kind. i find it unconscionable the health and well-being of the environment and our citizens and my children has been set aside for the sake of the transportation of tar sands oil. when the spills over and the figures pointed to the pipeline company but should be focused to the government as well state and

federal governments fail to protect the people and the environment. the department of transportation was aware of the violation eight years prior to this bill. what did the corrective action borders of the are not enforced? it is a shared negligence. i asked you why would you approve the construction of yet another pipeline when the existing line possess these that have not been corrected and are regulated by federal policies that are lacking. why would our government allow material like tar sands to flow through the pipeline new or old when no one has any idea how to clean it up? they are still trying to figure it out in this day. questions to the latest long-term health the destruction of the ecosystem and the potential effect of the infrastructure or all on the list of the unknown. before you vote on the keystone pipeline come on the invite each and every one of you and your families and children please

come to my home town at what has become. i ask you to walk on the riverbanks, swim in the river and then tell me how safe you feel. thank you for your time. [applause] >> thank you very much. >> marchi? >> c-o-b-e-n-s in minnesota. in the u.s. and canada we stand in the opposition to the keystone xl pipeline we have created the mother earth accord that was earlier presented to you. in its support has come from the national regional and individual tribes along with numerous

individuals from nebraska basically all has signed the agreement. yesterday we met with the state department assistant secretary dr. kary ann jones who told us they are having an independent risk assessment being conducted on the keystone xl pipeline. we see this as a direct result of recent allegations and e-mails of corruption between the state department and the trans transcanada. this department would not give us -- the state department wouldn't give any further information such as who's doing the assessment, if the result would be made public for comment but they stated that the results would be completed prior to the presidential permit decisions. if this is truly a transparent google offering these results should be made and have the ability to have comments on it before the decision is made.

in accordance to the united nations declaration of the indigenous rights, and the executive order by president obama they are supposed to be free to tribes. this hasn't happened in the united states with a state department yet on this issue. the state department has failed to meet a commitment along the route. the state department has threatened to withhold funds to have monitors on the pipeline if they do not concur with the agreement. they've also failed to meet on the government level with of the lakota tribes along the pipeline that was talked about earlier and in south dakota they are already polluted from the mining. the question if they would be held liable if water was polluted and he didn't receive an answer.

in the words of the great chief they've made many promises to us more than i can remember but they kept one the promised to take our land and they did. we also like to make it known that we, the indians come stand in unity with the cowboys, ranchers and farmers on the proposed route. we sympathize with them and as they are the modern the indians their land is being taken away for pennies on the dollar's just as ours was. we feel the state part respecting to a corner with all of the corruption allegations and failure to meet with the government on this issue therefore the only way to clear them of themselves and with the nation is to deny the presidential permit and to say no to the keystone xl pipeline. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> there was a mixup with the numbers. i am number 41 and my name is

arthur k-o-h-l i-g-g-s. i have four points. first i would like to thank the gentleman from montana with a fun hat for his honesty. i am pleased he said what many others have a hard time saying. the war we are fighting are about the oil. labor community members today i'm from wisconsin. i occupy the state capital for three weeks fighting the attack on the workers and the wisconsin people and i fought every day for the past months for your rights. you were being lied to and used. this is a dangerous violent substitution for the millions of clean energy jobs we are promised and desperately need in this country. if you want sustainable long-term jobs, this is the wrong project. i have been to fort mcmurray and alberto canada where most of the

tar sands extraction takes place. simply being in the area made me sick. i'm not saying that for hyperbole. it literally made me sick. drink the water and breathe the air and i promise you will become sick as well. obama, in your campaign you promised me a clean energy future. the future is impossible if this proposed pipeline becomes a reality. this pipeline would solidify our addiction to the dirty fossil fuel. obama, please uphold the very local promise he made to me and millions of others when you campaign for my vote. the clean energy future takes change and leadership now. finally, i said i was from wisconsin and right now there is an ongoing fbi investigation about the politics and the inappropriate corporate cronyism

of scott walker and his administration. secretary clinton, would have fought you were above that type of leadership. you're personal and professional relationship with transcanada is inappropriate. regardless of the pipeline is the nation's best interest it is definitely a conflict of your interest. the rest scott walker and dni this -- dni this pipeline. [applause] >> thank you. >> good morning. i am david friedman, f-r-i-e-d-m-a-n. i am with npra. npra represents more than 450 businesses including all u.s. refiners and petrochemical many doctors from other suppliers and vendors. our members supply a wide variety of products in the daily homes and businesses including

fuel, lubricants and chemicals blocks for everything from plastic to clothing to medicine to computers. npra supports the keystone xl pipeline project because it would strengthen the country's national and economic security. our members depend on the secure and reliable supply of crude oil and is the first purchased in the market are significantly affected by volatile prices. despite the evidence is and other forms of energy, everyone agrees the united states and the rest of the world will continue to rely on petroleum in the distant future. as our economy continues to struggle out of the recession, the keystone xl pipeline will create and sustain thousands of revenues. ..

by more than 500,000 barrels per day. allowing u.s. refiners to use more canadian crew to make our nation less relying on oil imports from unstable reasons of the world and less vulnerable to potential supply disruptions. if america chooses not to accept the canadian oil, china and other nations across the pacific will be more than happy to buy it. that would require shipping canadian oil across the ocean and would force the united states to ship in more oil from elsewhere. this transoceanic traffic would cause a lot more energy increase the carbon footprint of transporting the oil, which actually increase global g.

if we turn our back in this important source of energy, will be imposing economic sanctions on ourselves. thank you. >> thankthank you very much. [applause] died like to call the next floor. it looks like joelle novy, number 44, daniel droughts in. number 45, and dean hubbard and number 46, lauren stockman. thank you. >> show well novae with interfaith power and light. their interfaith power and might, for 10,000 congregations of our religious traditions around the country worked together on energy and climate issues. i am submitting into the record today hundreds of comment cards from local churches and synagogues coworker folks have concluded the keystone pixel pipeline would do great harm in the religious tradition called them to speak out.

these cars during thousands of online comments and from religious folks around the country and may join the testimony of religious leaders at previous hearings in kansas, nebraska and texas. when the sunset this evening, i would turn millions of jewish americans in marking the holiest day of our year, yom kippur, the day of atonement. for me this is a day to tune out distractions and be honest with myself about whether or not i am on the right path. a "new york times" editorial this week spoke against the keystone xl pipeline. it cited concerns about good extraction to oil and the rest of pipeline poses to american drinking water. the editorial concluded with a larger question. should this country keep conducting business as usual or will be seriously grapple with the reality of climate change? this is the choice before you today. this is our nation's yom kippur moment. the concentrations of trapping

gases and atmosphere already higher than they've been in hundreds of theaters and warming temperatures are already causing stronger storms, devastating drought and great suffering all around the world. the path we are on this treacherous. if we build this pipeline to extract every last drop of oil from the tar sands and push the concentrations of pollution or atmosphere to the point that we permanently damage the earth's climate, any argument you have her today in support of the pipeline short-term benefit will pale in comparison. the human suffering that will be caused -- this suffering continuing along the fossil fuel path we are on is catastrophic. every single person who works at the state department is also a human being who lives on earth and new hopes for their children and grandchildren to also live on earth. you surely know in your heart that it some point our nation

will be forced to ship away from dirty fuels no matter which foreign corporations stand to benefit from further delay. and to turn instead to worth investing in clean energy on repairing our climate. but it matters when we make that decision. as bill mckibben has said, physics and chemistry don't park in. they don't give us much time and they are backpedaling. we cannot wait to turn back until after this pipeline is filled. we must turn back the forehand. i miss yom kippur, this day of moral clarity, please tune out distractions. please have the integrity instead to simply make the right decision for the people at the united states and the people of the world. we do not approve it keystone xl pipeline. >> thank you. [applause] >> titrated and earlier spot to speak now.

i am bruce kaplan at national energy committee chair for the sierra club and i chaired a national campaign defending water for life for the alliance for me. i'm here today to argue about psi pressure or parts per million. i'm not here to say move the pipeline one mile in one direction or the other. i am not here to say put t10 me. i am here today to speak for my god son, from a grandson, formulaic, for sasha and for chelsea. and so i will read to you part of what my god sons mother wrote after being arrested in front of the white house protesting the pipeline a few days before i too was arrested. she said, as they stood before the white house gates, listening to the police issued their morning of our impending arrest

to our group of over 100 demonstrators, i thought i would say as they carded me away what private i want the president to hear. and i recall today obama stood before the end bp's deepwater billowed millions of water of oil from the horrifying wound in the gulf of mexico floor. i remember him remarking that he was concerned about this bill because while you shaped one morning, his 11-year-old data malia said, did you plug the hole yet, daddy? children have a way of speaking to our heart. and so even if president obama didn't hear this song and the

chan of more than 1000 people who were arrested over the course of two weeks, even if the purpose of religious leaders in native american elders went unanswered, even if he didn't read the editorial opposing the keystone xl pipeline in "the new york times," even if he ignored the advice of his theory on epa, perhaps in this instance, sachse or malia might see us outside the white house gates and asked her dad, did you stop the pipeline yet, daddy? as the police handcuffed my hands behind me and let me off to a white school bus, i shouted for sasha and malia, i don't think obama stutters hurt me. i thought if they watch my fellow protesters because, searched and photographed at the buses use windows that perhaps if we keep this up, they will. and i am here today to keep this

up. mr. president, do this for malia and flash are coming for just her men come your former national delegate director and current lobbyist for the sub 10. secretary clinton, do this for chelsea and for her future children, your grandchildren and not for paul elliott, senior officials for your presidential bid and now it's obvious for keystone xl pipeline, did she stop the pipeline today, daddy? i hope the president hears us. thank you. >> thank you very much. [cheers and applause] >> good afternoon. i'm at the national resource defense council and here to talk to you about how sub 10 is not in the national interest because it is wholly inconsistent with you upon administration schools to combat climate change and

reduce greenhouse gases. approving keystone xl pipeline would block the u.s. into high carbon infrastructure lasting 50 years. significantly more greenhouse gas intensity than conventional oil in the u.s. department has acknowledged this month in the final environment to impact statement, stating that tarzan is more greenhouse gas intensive than conventional oil and more greenhouse gas intensive than the cuckoo displaced including at the mexican and venezuelan. epa's estimated the annual missions be 27 million metric tons, it clearly greater u.s. crude. these are additives in missions above and beyond what would occur without the pipeline. it's equivalent to the coal-fired plants every year or putting 5 million cars -- more cars on the road. it is notable that is the u.s. approves the pipeline they will be affect de leon doing that gains from those finalized car

and light truck greenhouse gas regulations. and he would also threaten gains made with a long-term goals of the medium and heavy-duty truck rolls. but the state department significantly airs its analysis in the final environmental impact statement that keystone would not result in greater greenhouse gas emissions in the air relying -- you are relying and faulty analysis including that tarzan did not flow through keystone is somehow market through their means. this is a false argument. in the end, they are speculated uncertain or much longer-term options. and sure, alberta's tarzan industry, this is their best hope for their expansion plans for the tarzan and you've got to acknowledge that. but the point, the state department cannot simply -- the state department can simply avoid evaluating possible impact of this or any other project by speculating about whether other projects can move ahead.

this violates the very core of the national environmental policy act. in short, state department has an obligation to listen to the environmental protection agency and the knowledge that definition. canadian tarzan are directly linked to by their keystone xl moved ahead. industries announced a plan to expand tarzan's production to as much as 7.6 million barrels a day that tarzan's industry, canadian government, alberta government have all been vigorously defending keystone xl pipeline because it is so essential to continued expansion of the upstream canadian tarzan's industry. indeed the emissions created from producing this much tarzan compared with the equivalent amount of conventional well would be an additional 228 million metric tons. because keystone is completely contrary to be upon administration school to combat climate change, keystone xl pipeline should not be found to

be in the national interest. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> next. >> and lawrence doctrine. i am research director for oil change international, research and advocacy group working on energy and environment here in washington d.c. we were attacked about energy security. i'll say it's a choice between canadian oil, saudi oil, venezuelan oil is a false choice. it is the posters because keystone xl is an export pipeline. we studied this issue and produce report a few weeks ago. i've submitted them into the process. the u.s. gulf coast at the forefront of the 60% increase in u.s. petroleum products, export since 2007. latin america and european markets need these on the coast coast refiners and the one providing it. in fact with u.s. gasoline

demand set to decline over the long term, the refiners to receive keystone xl crude maximize from heavy saudi creeps are not of the tarzan type and will deliver. this means a keystone xl is serving growing global demand rather than u.s. domestic needs. it will therefore the oil delivered from canada will be as well as, not instead of other sources of heavy oil such as that from saudi arabia and venezuela. even if that weren't the case, canadian oil has not and cannot insulate america from the global oil market in the same that over the last few years. canada has been america's largest source of imported oil since 2005. america now imports twice as much oil from canada as a gesture of saudi arabia and 38 more than for the entire middle east reason. yet this increasingly oil has not protected america's oil

price spikes or oil supply disruptions. in 2008 associate hundred $47 a barrel, u.s. gasoline prices spiked. this year in march and april as bolivian crisis -- as bolivian civil war started, 1.6 million barrels a day of oil came out of the market. you gasoline prices spiked again along with the global market. the international agency is forecast that over the next two decades, even with canadian oil and tarzan oil produced according to industry conditions over the global market will increase from 40% to 50%. the only way to make this country more secure, more energy secure is to oil demand. president de palma has set us on the road for that -- [applause] through the café sand connected in a small step forward. if we reduce demand in line with the limits of our climate system at the iaea has shown, we will

send $5 trillion less to opec over the next two decades. that's energy security and milk demanded employment at the pipeline. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> is dean huppert here? then move along please two number 48, rebecca riso. excuse me, catholic speaks, 49, mr. jack gerard and number 50, camry card please.

[inaudible conversations] >> and jack gerard, is it my turn? >> you may go ahead. jack gerard, gerard, president and ceo of the american petroleum institute, api. we represent 480 large and small companies all across the united states that developed various aspects of the oil and gas that country and economy rely on. we support 9.2 million american jobs and given the opportunity to generate and produce other oil and natural class in this country coupled with the approval of the keystone xl pipeline could create another million jobs here in the united states. so we want to thank you for the thorough review working for federal officials, state and

local interest to make sure this process is surely that it appeared opportunities given to hear their views, but fundamentally it comes down to one direct question. is the approval of this pipeline in the national interest? in our view is the answer is overwhelmingly yes. this pipeline has two key aspects of the two touch on briefly. first to provide energy security for the minute tape that menino canada is our largest trading partner and we bring in more crude oil than any other nation in the world today. by expanding this opportunity, we can become more secure as a nation and and a thick cotton a here in north america to have our resources locally to fuel our economy and to provide for what it is our american citizens need. so this makes us more energy securities with the long-term. recent analysis shows and we combined canadian production,

bringing us together with the keystone xl pipeline, coupled with development of domestic oil and natural gas doing unit days, we could be energy securing north america in 15 years. that is energy security. that is clearly in the national interest. [applause] the second key point i would like to make his job creation that is clearly in the national interest at a time of over 9% unemployment. your approval of the keystone xl pipeline will on most immediately create 20,000 new american jobs here in the united states. over 2400 u.s. companies are currently involved with the development of oil sands from 49 different states. this is not a regional impact. it is a national impact. if approval of the pipeline were to come through it helps stimulate our economic recovery and put us back on our feet and

many here today focus on june creation and recovery -- [inaudible] will have the opportunity to have the best paying jobs here in the united states. so once again, [applause] in summary, this is in the national interest. it's a job creator and provides more energy and security for the united states. we strongly endorse it and hope you will approve quickly. thank you very much. [cheers and applause] >> hello, greetings to the state department and all of our relatives here. and if pat spears, spears. i number of good sioux tribe chairman and i service present at the nectar of the council on utility poles d. every present the renewable

energy policy and development interests of something teen tribes in the great plains, the northern plains area. it's primarily the dakotas, but we are surrounded by this date in north dakota and nebraska. i also live along the missouri river where we get our drinking water along with many tribes along the way. there's probably 10 more. there's other tribes that are away from the river that are provided drinking water to the real water systems in the rosebud a neocon ogallala sioux tribes. the oklahoma tribe are opposed to the construction of the xl pipeline. the resource impacts are important to the tribes come, the sewer environmental damage potential, economic and health impacts fewer people into our tribal populations.

as an executive order i know that create the presidential approval of this process here. if there's also executive order is that it status to demand consultation directly with the tribal governments on a government to government basis and the tribes want that to be upheld and part based. the va is finding of no significant impact on the environment is just incredible. but we are told that the state department is going to review das relative to risk assessment and liability for oil spills. we are hopeful this will be an unbiased and independent study in the tribes will also have input in that study and be consulted by whoever that contract areas. there's further scientific analysis necessary on the acidic content of type thing boiling materials, workmanship, et

cetera from people who put those types in the ground. we've heard from one of those inspectors here about some of those things that were just buried and paid no attention to. we contacted number of the southern spec are seeking. the constant climate change must also be considered. the oil development will just push us over the carbon foot print. so we think that the economics of my knee than the price of the oil and put in the homelands of the korean nations and canada must be considered as well as a human health costs of tribe one on tribal lands considered peers to the tribes in the u.s. and canada stand together with other landowners in opposition to tarzan so development further by playing the mother of the accord. if you temporary jobs are not worth the environmental risks

and human health risk. the development of tarzan so it is a huge step backward. what if the government to support all forms of renewable energy, biofuels and electric vehicles powered by the wind and the sun. >> mr. spears conquered to complete your your remarks, please click >> the transmission group is a step toward a mockery of real clean jobs and restore the economy. tribal nations and all people in great plains. we urge the state department and the administration to be remembered as one that respects the rights and all people at. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. my name is rebecca reidel, reidel from billings montana.

if i stumble a little bit, i've been up since 3:30 yesterday morning. as i said, my name is rebecca reidel and a field agent for the laborers in montana, local 1686. [cheers and applause] i began with the laborers in 2008, just as the housing market and the credit industry began to crumble. but prior to working for the laborers union, i was employed for 22 years at the afl-cio, working with dislocated workers who lost their job due to various plant closures, trade readjustment -- trade deals and whatnot. so i have a unique understanding of the hopelessness that all the unemployed americans today are facing and how they feel. the difference between now and then as an employment training

specialist was there was lots of resources available to assist them as an employment training specialist was there was lots of resources available to assist them as an employment training specialist was there was lots of resources available to assist them. but today with specialist was there was lots of resources available to assist them. but today with the looming deficit and the federal government facing all sorts of cuts, there isn't enough money to serve people that are unemployed right now. the actual unemployment rate in many calculations is actually closer to 17% when you add in all the people that have exhausted their unemployment or no longer looking for work or underemployed. the country is never seen an unemployment like this come e-mail, since the great depression. and it was very difficult to work with people all those years to life they are jobs. they had a job for 20 years. i thought for sure they were going to retire for american life would be good. but they worked hard and would lose everything because they lost their jobs.

so that is why i am here today to inform you to fast-track the approval of the presidential permit for the keystone xl pipeline. this project requires no tax dollars, would provide infrastructure that is much needed to help develop the buck in oil field in the construction of this project will get thousands of people back to work very quickly. this project is about a shovel ready as you can get here the four unions involved in building pipelines have the ability to quickly train a large workforce. our members will be trained not only in the pipeline construction, but with heavy emphasis on safety. our history shows it unions are the best training program in the best safety records in the world. never before has there been so much prime opportunity to make a big impact for jobs quickly at no cost to the taxpayer and with

the unions providing the training. the country needs these jobs. this pipeline and therefore it is the presidential permit to be issued without delay. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> good afternoon, secretary of state clinton in the u.s. state department hearing panel. my name is ken rickard, record and a business manager for labor international union of america local 1686 for montana. [cheers and applause] came here today representing 1600 proud construction of public site to members throughout the state of montana and i went to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on their behalf today regarding the transcanada keystone xl pipeline products. the construction of the

transcanada keystone xl pipeline will employ 50600 laborers from local 1686 in montana. these jobs are desperately needed to several thousand montanans employed in the construction industry have lost jobs in the last four years. this project will be a crucial path to allow men and women of antenna to provide for their families, pay their bills and support local businesses. this project will enable workers to be able to provide health insurance coverage for themselves and family in addition to a living wage, which will in turn support the small businesses within our communities and create thousands of spinoff jobs. montanans will once be able to provide for families and communities. though the paper will pump over over $420 million in two states economy, including 285 million into the wallets of working families are montana. this will be a fundamental component in restoring would've been lost within our communities

of the great state of montana. the people opposing the pipeline don't understand the facts and they don't understand what it's like to go months without a job at knowing how you're going to support your family. [cheers and applause] laborer 1686-degree we need to expand the use of renewable energy, but the reality is we still need oil. we need deformations we can trust and we need jobs. our members believe in support of reasonable in response to a concept the pipeline, create jobs here reduce our dependence on oil from regimes such as keeping two extremists. the on-ramp in montana supported by our governor, price points their oil of 65 barrels of crude oil a day from the region to be transported efficiently at a reduced cost in this will result in $2 million annually to property tax revenue to the county. yet another example of long-term

effect to montana's working family. they building the pipeline, montanans and americans will benefit. if we don't have the pipeline company will ship to china and their jobs will be created here. do we help ourselves in montana and the united states are to real china quake 31 to help ourselves. the pipeline would give you a sexist oil from one of the most trusted outlays in reduced our dependence on oil from countries that wish to do us harm. while the economic benefits are many, they would mean little if we do not do this pipeline safely. one of the training funds priorities is to maintain pipeline safety by ensuring a qualified workforce are operators and others to comply with federal pipeline safety regulation. >> misery card company to ask you to finish. >> thank you very much for letting me take on behalf of the laborers. [cheers and applause]

>> again, remind folks if you have comments you are a written outcome you're very, very welcome to bring them out to the table or to the table in the back of the room and they will be considered fully. thank you. number 51, michael clink of 30 spoken. if i am wrong, then you're a. >> i am number 51. >> that's interesting. anyway, what you please go ahead and state your name for the record and your affiliation. spent the afternoon. my name is carol moffett and i am president of the center for international environmental law. the not-for-profit organization uses power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights and ensure a just and sustainable society. as speaking on behalf of field, our justice and greenpeace.

under executive order, 13337, the secretary of state may not grant a presidential permit for the keystone xl pipeline as the next best finding the pipeline will serve the national interest. it will not. approval of the keystone xl project would contribute to substantial increases in greenhouse gas emission by both the united states and canada with significant global climate impact. as a result, he would say her country's obligation lead the international community and taking urgent action to mitigate climate change. it would undermine key national policy priorities in transitioning to a clean energy economy. it would facilitate canada's own violations of its international claimant obligation and in doing so approval of keystone xl but has to be real and very serious risks of climate change to national security and international peace.

risks that the secretary herself has recognized that the clear and present danger to the united states, the international community and the world. for these reasons, the state department must find that the keystone xl project does not serve the national interest. the u.s. has made a clear commitment to the american public and the international community that it will lead in the global transition to a low carbon economy. however, if approved, keystone xl with facilitate the extraction, production and use of one of the world's most carbon intensive fuel and undermine our commitment and ability to show leadership on climate change. as a party to the u.n. framework convention on climate change, the u.s. is obligated under article iv 2a of the convention to attack national policies and take measures that will demonstrate that it is taking

the lead in addressing climate change consistent with the objective of the convention. as such, the u.s. must show progress towards achieving the ultimate object of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate. for more than two decades, the u.s. has failed to deliver on that commitment in any meaningful way. approval of keystone xl would continue and compound the history of failure. today, this administrations professed commitment to meet international obligations in lead on climate change in various forms. set five minutes? thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> like to call mr. brett he think it is. is that correct? after mr. booker with laurie hughes and racial, who i thought

spoke earlier in jack reid please. these go ahead. >> grant occur from sco -- poker i stand proudly here representing the 500 men and women of the labor union in north america to speak on behalf -- [applause] of the state department to issue the presidential permit because it is vital for her country's national security. it is idle for two reasons, first of which of the reduce dependence on foreign oil, but more importantly inherent talk about jobs for americans and for canadians that transcanada will provide for americans. transcanada partnered with the union several years ago. they came to us because they knew that we were the best trained and have the best safety record of anybody building pipeline in the united states.

we have hundreds of training sites in america, but dozens along the route of the pipeline. hundreds of millions of dollars are spent between the laborers in the international union of operating engineers in the international brotherhood of teams use. this money is used to train the workers who are going to build the pipeline and will help us effectively. we commend epa, state department and more importantly transcanada for partnering with the unions and using there and figure safety standards that far exceed the regulations that have been put forth through the epa and the state department. we feel these hearings have been fair. we filled the hearings have had on this dialog that allows both parties to put their issues

forward. but the bottom line is americans need jobs and transcanada -- [cheers and applause] transcanada is going to provide those jobs throughout the construction of this project. in the last four years, over 2 million americans have lost their jobs in the construction industry. construction unemployment is twice as much as the national average which hovers around 9%. this project will put thousands of workers back to work and not do it quickly. if they shovel ready project that will allow our members who are currently unemployed, some of which may be a couple weeks more than likely months and some possibly years, who have been trying to daycare at how they are going to put the next meal on the table, how they are going to pay their mortgage, how they are going to pay their car payment. [applause]

these workers need this job. these workers need to keystone xl to unlock these good jobs. transcanada has committed to paying a fair living wage to pay health benefits for the workers who will work on the pipeline project and pay attention when her workers retire they can retire with a fair living wage. we implore you. we ask you, we need this job. thank you for your consideration. [cheers and applause] >> next, i have laurie hughes. >> hello again, mr. steele. i cited glendive. my name is laura hughes, hughes and i had the pipeline representative for the laborers international union of north

america. i spent many years working on these projects coming years that i might have provided me with a steady employment, with a living wage and decent benefits. now i have the honor to represent these workers and today speak on their behalf. the workers that built these pipelines have steady careers in this industry and we build these lines according to the lead standards of construction. we are proud of the work we accomplish and we are not afraid to beat up if we see something that is improper. we produce a quality product because we live and work in the areas that these pipelines are built-in. local residents will be employed on these projects along with the experienced industry proven american laborers that follows the industry. we provide the qualified, trained and experienced labor that are international contractors need to have a quality result. currently the construction

industry suffers more than 13% to 18% depending the u.s. unemployment more so in the rural areas were traditionally we relate these lines. small communities manager and perform to work and gets a huge shot in the air for us. we can turn a paycheck over in 24 hours. at the local grocery stores, gas stations, hotels, restaurants and any other item one might need while living away from home. the resulting economic impact of victory the local communities. our contractors also believe in buying locally. when they need work supplies than many other things they will buy from the communities. shovels, intimate to us, feel, groceries and the list goes on and on and on. this is about jobs, jobs that put american middle class but to work, the middle that is disappearing entrenching and supports the tax base for all the structured communities they

need to survive. this job is shovel ready and we need these jobs. where better to come from that her neighbor to the north american that miss montana and north dakota will have upon the two =tranfour the botkin shale failed oil to market, making this an additional shot in the air for those statewide governments. we still are a fossil fuel society, but we can be environmentally correct society that enables light to go through the complete process of the pipe he made in the most environmentally dangerous country in the world than the best international best is send contractors in the world and the most qualified and trained employees available. we understand the need for renewable energy. we are not there. we need to feed families now. it's about jobs. [cheers and applause] >> thank you for a match.

we would appreciate if you would allow the speakers to speak without interruption just because it takes additional time away from us. mr. reid. >> my name is michael watley, number 54 and i am the executive vice president of consumer synergy alliance. cea is made up of 300,000 individuals over 165 organizations to represent every sector of the u.s. economy including truckers, farmers, highway users, shippers, manufacturers, iron stove producers, chemical manufactures many sheep producers. cea supports the keystone xl pipeline because of the economic benefits it will provide not only to the 16th and the excellent quarter, but the nation as a whole. the pipeline will create more than 120,000 jobs across the united states. even more, this project will create hundreds of millions of dollars in government receipts, help out the budget and create $20 billion in economic growth

nationwide. that's a lot of money that will go to improving our schools, rosenhaus does. the keystone xl pipeline project will also strengthen our national energy security. 700,000 barrels of oil per day will bring to gulf coast refineries will be coming from places like oklahoma, montana, dakotas and canada, our closest neighbor, ally and largest trading partner. the soil is not subject to violent revolution think we seen this year seen this year in egypt and libya. it cannot be used as a political tool like russian oil can. it's highly discounted for the prices we pay for the persian gulf in the hope drive downfield prices for both their military and american drivers. there've been several allegations made by pipeline opponents that oil from the keystone xl pipeline will be exported to asia or will drive up gas and diesel prices. these claims could not be more unrealistic.

after this morning the united states is imported 2.65 billion barrels of oil this year and according to eia statistics a total cost of $281 billion. to suggest we will become an exporter because of this capacity for the adding 700,000 barrels of oil to u.s. markets will increase prices is completely unrealistic. further, there's rd xs pipeline capacity to get crude oil from you about a oil transformations to the pacific coast of the 500-mile journey. suggesting producers would send 17 of them asked for her to look for her to look at to the panama canal to get into pacific markets is ridiculous. not only will pipeline bring great economic and energy security benefits to united states, who will do so without harming water or impairment. the state department's extensive government to review this pipeline concluded there was no scenario in which the northern high plains would be adversely affected. the state department studied over a dozen others for the

pipeline and found the current route is the safest alternative and other alternative routes would quote the morland across more bodies of water and a proposed route. over 25,000 miles of pipeline 30 crosby ogallala aquifer. he's the next will be built with state-of-the-art technology and pay plan for the safest most efficient way to transport oil. to conclude, it is clear that it's in the national interest to allow construction of this important pipeline. because it's environmentally safe and will create thousands of high-paying jobs, because it will significantly boost u.s. economy and enhance energy security and to see a request on behalf of energy consumers nationwide the administration to permit the permits the construction of the keystone xl pipeline. thank you. [cheers and applause] >> mr. reid. >> good afternoon. i appreciate jack yoder and his number to me. my name is rodney school.

i am a member of local unions 657 right here in the. [cheers and applause] i am also the president teared a playful untrendy pregames 654. i am also a lay leader within my church, where a lot of are union members, construction men and women is out of work of the community in which i listen our denomination of churches then they look to s. to provide jobs for those construction members within the church. so we are reaching out to the community within our community to put people back to work and we need construction jobs like this keystone pipeline so to put our members and our churches to her. building the keystone pipeline creates thousands of good jobs

here in america that will allow men and women to provide for their families, pay their bills and support local businesses. this pipeline will create prevailing wage is, health benefits in the key things to a lot of are construction workers this help benefit insurance for our members. to grow without insurance, we know what it might then misconstruction pipeline would give us the health benefits from the prevailing and pension were members. these jobs are desperately needed. the market has lost over 2 million construction jobs in the last four years and more than one in seven construction workers can't find work. these are more than a job. these are careers for a union brothers and sisters. thousands of jobs will be created if this pipeline goes

through. business pipeline but pump billions into our economy, much of that going directly into the wallets of working family men and women. we agree that this pipeline needs to be done safely. that is why we have the skilled men and women within this treaties, the laborers that can do the spy plane safely. people pulling this pipeline may not understand what it's like to go months without having a job, feeding your family, putting food on the table. we know it's late. i'm a third-generation type and worker can lift around the pipeline on my life. use the pipeline to put my kids through school, graduate so i know what it is to be out of work. so i am saying to you, please let this pipeline go through so i can continue to provide for my

family and put food on my table. pipeline -- also the pipeline that ran through my family within 100 yards, so we need the pipeline. we need the circuit name saying we are definitely in support of this pipeline. [cheers and applause] >> i would like to call please michael barrett, michael reid, bill stevenson and great day this please. >> my name is michael barrett. thank you for the opportunity to speak today. i stand before a u.s. representative of the laborers international union.

[cheers and applause] a union that is working for working families throughout this country and in canada as well. i am also a lifelong environmentalist and i take that seriously. i attended countless rallies, demonstrations and meetings of the year over her mental causes including an early attempt to shut down wall street over the poor for the nuclear power industry. he understands some environmentalist groups are opposed to keystone xl pipeline. i respect the passion and fundamental concerns. the union works of many groups to find common ground in creating sustainable good paying jobs. but their opposition to this pipeline pipeline is a mistake. this is not a question of whether canada will extract the soil. this is a question about whether we are going to construct a pipeline to take that oil into

the united states. opposing the pipeline will not reduce carbon emissions since oil will simply be buried was claiming and china if we don't go this pipeline. opposing the pipeline will not reduce oil spills and pipelines are much safer ways to transport oil than the tankers which would carry this oil to china. environmental opposition to this pipeline is a knee-jerk reaction rather than a sound strategic position. you cannot reduce global warming by opposing the spy plane. another hand despite they will generate jobs for thousands of unemployed construction workers that desperately need them. jobs that will support their families and communities. make no mistake unemployment kills. unemployment kills workers, families and kills communities than it killing them right now.

this pipeline can and should be built safely and well. north american union trade construction workers are the best paid players in the world. we can't or will build a safe pipeline. we need to be rational about the trade-offs of a project like keystone xl. we need to think about alternatives that this project isn't built. the reasonable thing is to build the pipeline, create jobs here and reduce our dependence on oil from other parts of the world. that is what the final environmental impact statement concludes that the alternatives to the pipeline are not reasonable or environmentally preferable. please sign that the keystone xl project is in the national interest in approved a presidential permit as soon as possible. thank you for today's hearing and the opportunity to comment.

[cheers and applause] >> michael reads. >> after my michael reid, president of the trans-atlantic grassroots organization city comic con is coming chamber of commerce, along with 2300-mile corridor that runs from mexico to canada. we have members in 10 u.s. come out princesse kvetch canada as those cuyler mexico. the keystone xl pipeline is proposed to entire regions will have a direct impact on many of our members of both positive and negative impacts that occurred and encourage you to approve the presidential permit for the pipeline can have submitted a letter of the signatories of 50 mayors and county officials joining on. keystone xl will provide significant economic and if it's for reach and it's important for america's heartland to continue to see population decline. the pipeline is projected screen of the 20,000 manufacturing

construction jobs in the pipeline itself an attribute with a $5.2 billion in tax revenue to the corridor space. a timeline when state and local government faced budget cuts and job cuts, revenue and employment benefits are crucial. most numbers don't include the number of jobs american jobs that are supported by production of alberta oil, whether it's drilling, oil so manufacturers can attract income is in many american industries that provide jobs for lots of americans. i had a trucking company call me a couple weeks ago looking for potential back on because they are importing so much stuff from texas up to alberta. they looking for more trait that way. keystone xl is a key component for america's effort to end independence of venezuelan oil by increasing access to supplies from trusted neighbor and ally canada as well as domestic supplies from the formation in montana and north dakota. relying upon regimes in many cases unstable non-friendly to

the united states is that energy, economic and national security policy. american troops are not called on to depend in p1 princess john. when political uprisings in revolutions as the government to the middle east earlier this year, we saw harmful oil price that threaten our fragile economic recovery. today upgraded swearing in a new premier racing no impact on the impact at all. the pipeline would waste half of the oil to the united states currently imports in the middle east and by increasing the u.s. reliance on middle eastern imports we have greater capacity to pursue foreign policy not subject to the winds about producers in in the persian gulf. as the world's largest trade partners, canada and united states to vote in his first structure to ensure security of goods and services. it has led to strong political cooperation between these two western western democracies in any scenario which candidate would prohibit oil exports to the native state the family be.

other nations turn off the spigot for the u.s. and other countries and hudson is causing significant damage to the u.s. economy and left arm forces with reliable sources of fuel. and the worth of energy secretary steven chu, having canada as a player or it is much more comforting than to have other countries collateral. thank you very much. [applause] >> will stevenson. >> director of pipeline for the united association. you heard a lot testimony today regarding energy, energy independence, our allies, training partners in the not so friendly to us. you're going to your numbers about jobs, some true, some are made up. you are going to hear about these products being exported. how horrible is that? and export from the united states with american jobs. that's just horrible.

i am going to tell you the most important concern to us as economic impact. at a time of high national unemployment, some areas of the industry is nearly 40%. there's 13,000 jobs for construction. we can argue about water. we can argue about the area. we can argue about the dirt. [inaudible] >> can you please not react. >> i wish dr. skinner was still in here. i don't know if she is or not. the cornell study that was put together -- i don't know where they came up with their numbers. you can tell me a lot of things, but you're not going to tell me about banning the pipeline job. [cheers and applause] there's 22 spreads on this pipeline from the canadian border to port arthur, texas.

each individual spread will average between 750 to 1000 employees. i assure you that if a true number. there's dirty punk stations between the canadian border and port arthur, texas. each one of those pump stations will employ 80 to 120 construction employees. these are real numbers. [applause] [inaudible] >> get a haircut. [laughter] >> put appreciated -- excuse me, mr. stevens. i will appreciate it if those who are in the room would allow the speakers every single speaker, whether you agree with these positions are not to finish his remarks, treat them individual with respect and in return, you look at the same

treatment. thank you. mr. stephenson, please go ahead. [applause] to my good friends from nebraska, a few are running those giant john deere and massey ferguson wears on oil -- i'm wondered that she had pumped out of the ogallala aquier and you're burning buffalo chips to run those tractors, god love you, but i think you're probably using thousands of gallons of diesel a year. to the general who spoke about transitioning alternate forms. unless you know something i do not because they're good friend bobby peddie put so eloquently he's never seen a windmill on the fighter plane for a solar panel on a submarine. please get this permit past. thank you.

>> argued a 57-yard? >> number 57. ray perryman. >> what is your name? >> ray perryman. >> i don't have your name. >> ray perryman. i'm an economist from texas, former college professor and the source of a lot of numbers spoken in both praise and the line today. on the source of the 118,000 total jobs for the construction process, thune 50,000 jobs once it's built with a 9.5 billion gross product and other things. ..

and we analyze carefully using the best models available but the bottom line is you can look at the first two pages of any high school economics book and they will tell you when you have more supply the price goes down, not of and in this case we are talking out supply coming from a politically stable neighbor as opposed to in alternative becoming from an unstable region of the world. people factor this enterprise

and quantity enterprise and all those things that the price is a way to go down. when that happens all the companies have to buy petroleum have additional money they don't have to spend they can spin on the other things they can invest, innovate, create jobs, do all kind of things companies to buy a very big fan of the environment among the studies i company has done the last 30 years or the -- the studies include the apollo project which is a massive clean energy investment over billions of dollars of investment renewable energy we need all of that and that is part of an overall energy that we need and part of that energy is petroleum. we need it now. we have infrastructure issues, our infrastructure is out of date. this project makes sense from the construction standpoint but it doesn't require tax payer money and it also creates jobs on a sustained basis because it's going to give a more stable energy features of for all those reasons i would ask you to support the keystone pipeline

both environmental perspective and most importantly the economic perspective it really comes down to plain common sense putting billions of dollars and lowering the price of oil is going to have a positive effect on the economy. thank you very much for your time. [applause] >> okay, please. >> my name is greg davis, d-a-v-i-s, resenting the leaders national union of north america. [applause] after more than three years in the process it's critical that the state department moved forward and prove the keystone xl project. the construction industry needs this important investment right now for our economy and the security of our country. the construction sector has had a depression-era on employment levels. over 1 million construction workers were unemployed during the peak week of the construction season this year.

people are losing their houses, their cars and health insurance. times are tough right now for the u.s. construction worker. these are not short-term insignificant jobs for construction workers at some has referred today. we survive in this industry by stringing together jobs of much shorter duration of leverage to make our living and raise our families. in this industry most workers do not make 2,000 hours a year. construction worker averages about 1200 hours a year for the whole year. we do not get to go to an office every day. we do not get to work in a controlled climate and air-conditioning. we are subjected to when they and rain and all types of it in adverse weather conditions. we do not get paid when this happens. we only get paid for the hours we actually work, and many of us haven't seen work in months and some people, years. these jobs are needed, and the jobs are needed now.

[applause] it's time to move this project forward. we need to see the economic benefits of this project for our communities and the construction industry. the project will will employ thousands of construction workers. will provide wages for them to rebuild their lives, make their car payments, buy groceries, pay mortgages, taxes and create revenue to revive a hour communities. as a veteran of the u.s. armed forces and a proud parent of a child serving in the national guard, the enhancement of our national security is of great concern to me and my family. the united states imports millions of gallons of crude a day. america as a consumer of energy and we are going to need all the energy resources we have. the building of keystone pipeline shouldn't slowdown research and battery technology or slow the expansion from the

wind farms or solar energy. a reliance on foreign sources of oil makes our economic and energy security vulnerable. there are governments to control oil supplies whose philosophies are at odds with the interest of the united states. energy independence will reduce the potential to threaten the u.s. economy and provide our military with a better ability to protect our country. until the day our soldiers can go into battle and in tanks and humvees that run on batteries and solar power our country will need oil. for these reasons, the keystone xl project in the approval of the presidential permit are the best economics and in the national interest of the united states. thank you. [applause] >> next we have to him and brenda and drew. please. >> thank you. my name is liz b-a-r-r-a-t-t

brown like the color. i would like to give a few seconds of my time to catherine. >> my name is catherine s-o-l-o-r-z-a-n-o l-o-w-e-l-l coming down in support of tar sands actions and a boston tar sands patriot and i'm currently seeking employment. i spent about ten hours in line on that marble floor with social and justice and environmental justice advocates that support union rights and with union advocates that supported green energy and all of them were in support, all of the ones i spoke to, of the occupied wall street movement and the occupied movements across this country.

[applause] the only reason that we are all here is because other infrastructure projects have been stifled, and these people need jobs but the pipeline is not the answer because the need more jobs than that. [applause] we need to support each other and i just going to throw out like many have said i don't know the exact numbers on this but as the top 1% were paying with our union friends are paying for taxes i think the would be a pretty good start. thank you very much. [applause] [cheering] >> when president obama was elected, he promised in his own words to end the tyranny of oil. in the speech last march, the president said, and i quote,

"the united states of america cannot afford to get our long-term prosperity, our long-term security on a resource that will eventually run out. and even before her it runs out we will get more and more expensive to extract from the ground. we can't afford it when the cost to our economy, our country and our planet are so high. the only way for america's energy supply to be truly secure is by permanently reducing our dependence on oil." [cheering] and he finished, "we've got to do it quickly." approval would take the country in the opposite direction by increasing our dependency on oil. that's why you've heard from leaders like general anderson today speaking out against the pipeline. the understand it will lock us into 50 years or more of the dirtiest oil on the planet.

the fact is u.s. oil consumption is in decline. that trend is expected to continue as our auto and truck efficiency increases. the u.s. already has 2 million barrels a day of tar sands pipeline capacity that imports only a million. this pipeline is not needed. so, why the big push? what the oil industry really wants is to get tar sands out of the midwest where there is a glut and to the gulf coast where there is more refining capacity for dirty crude and it can command higher prices. according to transcanada's own testimony, there is a $4 billion more in year in profit -- >> can you finish, please. >> if it can move to the gulf coming out of the pockets of midwesterners. there are better jobs and a better future and clean energy. on behalf of millions of factors and members, we ask you to not sign the pipeline in our national interest. i am submitting for the record letters, resolutions, statements

and testimony asking that this pipeline be denied the research. thank you very much. [applause] [cheering] [applause and booing] >> please can we allow the next speaker. i have mixed on my list to tim. he is not here. how about brenda? >> thank you ladies and gentlemen. my name is dr. brenda k-e-n-n-y and i am president of the canadian pipeline association. this is an association that represents the major pipeline transmission companies in canada. you are faced with a very important decision for your great nation and i hope i can provide a few points of clarification and information to assist.

collectively the company's i represent operate more than 60,000 miles of pipeline throughout north america to read these pipeline are critical energy highways that connect oil and gas producing regions to consumers. the keystone xl project is just one link in an ongoing improvement of infrastructure in the north america that began decades ago. in keeping with our industry's steadfast commitment to safety and continuous improvement this project will be using the best available technology and the most stringent safety procedures to ensure safe and reliable transport to the refineries in texas that can assist your markets in the u.s.. there's been some allegations that this pipeline has had a number of leaks. the pipeline itself has had no leaks. there have been 14 minor leaks within the station property that have not affected in the private land owners and all of the has been cleaned up and i would wager that the total volume has

likely been less than any of us in this room might have spelled in one year filling your own vehicle. at the time of significant political upheaval's internationally in a very difficult economic recovery here in north america, this pipeline project offers a number key benefits i would like to point out. first of all, it's the long-term access to the reliable source of energy that is being developed in an environmentally responsible manner. the second is short-term economic benefits through construction and purchase of local goods where american workers and businesses can capitalize on this great opportunity. fairness long-term tax revenue for states and dozens of counties with the choose to invest in schools, health care, refurbishment or what have you. at this time of incredible economic volatility where markets have difficulty making long-term investment decisions, this project offers a wealth and

release. projects such as keystone xl are longer-term assets in the public interest because they need the energy needs of the nation and the capacity of this particular project only represents about 4.5% of your overall u.s. demand. it's an important increment apart for reliable energy, creating a choice, but in this context, it is in no way is a linchpin to continue fossil fuel reliance. indeed, this is a transition to a better supply connections and security as the u.s. makes its own choices in the future of about the evolution of its energy use. thank you very much. [applause] >> drew, please. >> my name is true v-e-y-s-e-y and as a proud canadian american, i will say that the keystone xl pipeline is not in the national interest of the united states of america.

[applause] [cheering] week of the 21st century economy in this country does not shackled to dirty fossil fuel. there will be thousands of additional miles of steel channing our country to its antiquated fossil fuel economy if we fill the keystone xl pipeline. we have to choose. we have to choose between the queen energy economy or the dirty economy, and we've had and all of the above energy policy the past 30 years and that is an obvious failure. as part of the 99% of americans come, and decent people of this country, we must have a further expansion of the fossil fuel economy. the richest 1% can cope with climate change by biting themselves safety. it's the 99% who suffer from the deadly and damaging effects of climate change. [applause] that is why i urge you to deny

the keystone xl permit. if this government still works in the best interest of the american people, you will be my this pipeline. thank you. [applause] [cheering] >> we are going to call the next series of numbers, however, i do want to tell you that our time has passed very quickly. there are many people who signed up. we you're going to end it to but we will go a little bit =to 2:15 because we had ever introductory statement but we do want to bring our meeting to an end at 2:15. if those we call could speak as effectively and efficiently as possible we will try to get as many in before time to the code to:15. number 64, michael.

number 65, clinton james. number 66, gloria. number 67, danny morgan. thank you. >> taking spot number 64 for michael my name is richard m-o-s-k-o-w-i-t-z. i'm the vice president of the american trucking association. no matter what side of the date you are on trucking is a way of life. the food you eat, the clothes you are wearing, the medicine that heels your family are all brought to you buntrock and the importance of school to the trucking industry in the u.s. economy cannot be overstated. the trucking industry burns 35 billions of diesel fuel and 14 billion of gasoline to deliver life's essentials. fuel is our second-largest expense. in 2008 when oil hit $148 a barrel, 3,000 trucking companies went bankrupt.

over 145 trucks and even more jobs were lost. now the trucking industry believes in alternatives. we are looking at biofuels and natural gas, looking at electrification. but each of these alternatives has challenges associated with its use in the trucking industry. they are just not quite ready to flip the switch and get completely off of the fossil fuel. so we encourage the research to overcome these challenges but we are faced with the reality that for the foreseeable future we are going to continue to depend upon fossil fuel to deliver life essentials. let me turn to energy security. we import 51 per cent of the crude oil in this country from foreign sources. if we turn our backs on canadian oil, we are still going to demand the same amount of fuel. the only difference is we are going to have to get it from elsewhere, less secure places of the globe and that is going to adversely impact our energy security. the ongoing crisis in the middle east should serve as a wake-up call on the need to improve our

domestic energy security. and the keystone xl pipeline is a critical component of the infrastructure to improve our energy security. i want to address environmental concerns briefly. the trucking industry believes an environmental stewardship. we have a robust sustainability plan which we go into more detail in our written comments, and i would encourage you to read them. we'll understand one of the primary objections to the keystone pipeline is carbon emissions. and i find that very strange because i think there is a carbon paradox going on. if we do not build the keystone pipeline we are going to increase global climate emissions and here's why canada is sitting on $17 trillion worth of oil. they are going to develop that would rebuild this plan or not. the only difference is if we build that pipeline it comes to the wheel comes to the united states and it comes to the united states in a way that has less carbon emissions associated

with it. if we don't build this pipeline it goes to vancouver by train or by truck and as much as i would like to see it go by truck the fact of the latter is there are more carbon emissions associated with the other modes of transportation than with pipelines. my time is up. thank you for the opportunity to read >> thank you. appreciate it. [applause] >> good afternoon. - clinton james and i'm the national director for the pseudo coalition, the u.s. arm of the sierra club and i'm proud to join and represent the over 40,000 members and supporters of the sierra student coalition when i say that we are probably opposed to the keystone xl pipeline. [applause] >> the transit workers union and various other mayors dying in the nobel peace laureates when i

say that we are again opposed to the keystone xl pipeline. [applause] in here to submit testimony based on three key points the pipeline is not the answer for american jobs the pipeline will create energy security for the united states and any life lost to the oil industry is one life to many. to my first point the pipeline will according to the cornell university global labor instead of only three of around 6,000 jobs. the claims about transcanada and the legal industry cannot be substantiated. it's easy to hire scientists and all the interim one about facts that you create these jobs cannot be substantiated by real studies. based on the study cornell found barely 6,000 jobs would be created and also any joe is better than no job, none of us are against jobs, the reality is, the state department in its own study found that these jobs would be on local and temporary.

again, very briefly, the state department in its own study would be long local temporary jobs. the very material this pipeline would be made of are not even from this country. your imported from china so thousands of american jobs could have been created if transcanada decided to use american products and workers but we know the only care about profit before people. [applause] and my second point the pipeline would increase the energy security for the united states. the only way to create energy security is to reduce the demand for oil and as a largest consumer of oil what we do impacts the world. we know that 2 million jobs have been created by the economy and we can create 2 million more so the answer is not to permit it

for the security but to invest and reduced demand on zero leal so i want to tell a story about shane if you would share with us today would be 23-years-old. shane was the father, son, husband and hard-working american but he woke up one day like every other work day he went to work for the leal industry off the coast of louisiana but last year lost his life because so many people said his place of work was safe on his place of work was a place where he could make a living and support his family but today we know he lost his life because of bp because our government said that so i urge you to think about real people who go to work every day and demand more from us that if we would permit a pipeline that we would ensure that pipeline would stay. thank you very much. [applause]

>> good afternoon. my name is laura, an attorney and consultant and i reside in austin, texas and it's my pleasure to be here today. thank you for the opportunity. i traveled from texas because i thought it was very important to tell you a little bit about what my client and who we represent. we support the ranking of the presidential permit in support of the pipeline. i represent the texas alliance of energy producers in the texas oil and gas association composed of over 3,000 members of independent producers in the state. our members are small producers with fewer than ten employees but we have about 5% public corporations. we drew approximately over 90% of the wells in texas and the united states. we do not represent pipelines marketers retailers or major

integrated companies and we do not represent a big oil although we do support the building and running of the permit within. pipelines are essential to our members and operation of the domestic oil and gas industry. pipelines are the purchaser, the shipper, the transporter of products of crude oil and natural gas. our producers to explore and drill with their own money. pipelines are enjoyable part of the operations that allow my client independent producers' access to the market and to make sure they have a deliberate shift to consumers. the technical lives of producers in the pipeline we support the creation of jobs and take those jobs freakin' julca 500, there are 3,000, 5,000 from 10,000 we will take them, okay? we support our neighbor to the north, canada, which is a stable nation. we prefer that the oil and gas is going to be developed we

prefer that it come to texas through the pipeline than to go somewhere else no one talked about the environmental factor of the waterborne beryl's and purges to come down to through the gulf coast transportation by land and by pipeline lil' bo waterboarding brolan burgess and tankers we also appreciate the transcanada pipeline has agreed that initial construction if you looked at the map would be the section of the line from cushing already stored of cushing is full and more is being built. it is imperative that the bottleneck in cushing be released prior to the shipping of the oil. it's an already saturated market. the discounted price of the west texas intermediate branch north sea is evident the domestic independent has been and would be adversely affected and this

is not the case. on a personal note, and i am from south texas, fifth generation. my father was a veteran, three of my brothers were in the service, my cousins are in iraq, my brother-in-law is there. i do not want my brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles, friends, texans, american boys to go to iraq and afghanistan. i support the building of the pipeline from canada. thank you paris to mix the for. [applause] >> mr. morgan? >> my name is d-nd morgan m-o-r-g-a-n. i served in the oklahoma house of representatives and represent district 32 which also takes in much of the area in cushing which is the crossroads of the pipelines in the world. more pipelines crashed through

the edni of their place of the world and i would challenge any of you to find a story of any pipeline accident or catastrophe that has happened at the junction of our pipelines across the country. when you to tell you that construction will include jobs. the reason and notes will include jobs because it personally seen it i could take you to the families of those working mightily to build the pipeline but are still there in the maintenance and operations of the pipelines. but i don't understand listening to what i've heard today and i thank this state department for the opportunity to have a good setting of this issue is the fact we don't believe for some reason all these energy sources can work together. i would invite you to come to the state of arizona because the largest increase in jobs we've seen in the energy sector is in the wind industry. we are building wind turbines. [applause] we are seeing those trucks and those electrical engineers and the labour force of the labor

unions working to build those towers and those are kaput, temporary jobs that i've heard so much about. same way with this pipeline. this is an opportunity for us to continue to blend a good mixture for the energy needs of this country. but why in the world what we say no. why would we say no to billions of dollars of investment coming to this country? these aren't our dollars, these aren't our tax dollars, these are foreign countries. canada saying i want to make an investment in the country why would we say no if they say no to the wind industry we don't want your money is a great segment of our economy. i continue i'm already beginning to see the real pickup in our communities. from those products coming into the wind industry and i will tell you today you will continue to see the pickup in our state because of the pipe that's

coming. you continue to see an increase in the construction workers dacko's toasters. the duty of moving that oil is that we to get off of the infrastructure. it's going to move and it's going to move into this country but we want to put it on the roads and highways or in a safe pipeline that's proven itself year after year after year? i would rather move it to a pipeline and continue to damage the infrastructure of this country. last one to say this the good thing about a pipeline as well as other forms of energy including wind energy is the excise tax paid to the local schools and the local counties and the local cities. that money stays there forever. that excise tax is paid on a pipe stays as educational institutions as long as it steals in the ground and will be a tremendous boost to our educational institutions in our state and all the states around the routt. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause]

>> 68, please. daniel gallagher. 69 come elbert gonzalez. 70, geraldine miller. >> hello. my name is daniel gallagher, g-a-l-l-a-g-h-e-r the president of the lancaster county green party and i represent 900 or so of those in the county but also can speak for the thousand or so in pennsylvania and tens of thousands in the country, and i would say unequivocally all these people would deny this, would like to ask to denied a permit to read one of the advantages of going last just as the interaction of the room and others have addressed very well so i will try to cut my known to

an observation and that is we have what i think it's a manufactured conflict in this room. we have a conflict that -- [applause] we have a conflict that corporations in cahoots with our government have said let's get the people who are really working in the doing a great job for our country and our labor unions against the people who are thinking about our environment and about sustainability and we really are the same people people and once we realize that and once we can work together i fink we come out of this ahead of the game so really my advice -- i have two pieces of the advice i thought for the leader site and then the environmental side. on the labour side really i thought we should consider the need to consider more of the sources where is the information

coming from. don't accept the claims made to you just because they sound good. on the other side, the environmentalists tend to think we are always right. so, sometimes we are wrong. sometimes there are situations and environments where people need a job and we all need a job. so this is really in manufacturing had conflict. from there i think others have stated the points very well that we there's a term i've come across recently that expresses this concept a little bit i haven't heard yet today and this corporate socialists and i think really this pipeline is supporting corporate socialism where a corporation are able to privatize the profits, able to take something that should really be a common good which is

oil and take that for their private profit and then have the cost of that activity manly pollution, climate change and the local health effects be borne by those citizens in those areas. so prejudiced profits, corporate cost. thank you for a much. [applause] >> - robert gonzalez, g-o-n-z-a-e-l-z. a lot of people have stood up here and thanked the panel for allowing them to speak. i would like to try to change that a little bit and thank of men and women that we're the uniform that allowed the

democracy to actively work. we have individuals on both sides of the issue to be able to come and express their opinion will be able be able to reach a unified opinion? mabey never but i would ask you to go back may be ten or 15 years to china when they were building the dams on the river. did they have an opportunity to have public access to our government officials to oppose their views or give their opposition? i don't think so because of the fact of the men and women that you wore the uniform it gives us this great democracy so i want to thank those men and women and not only those that serve but those better serving today and putting themselves in harm's way. [applause] i'm not going to argue with the

general but i still think energy is vital to the country's defense and it is an important part of our diverse national economy. our continued dependence on oil from venezuela and the middle east has increased energy costs and volatility. contributing to high prices at the fuel pump. the u.s. department of energy, another one of our government agencies people will argue with if these numbers are not correct estimates the north american keystone xl loveless to reduce imports from these regions piatt to 40%. i see my time is almost up. let me just say our nation's veterans deserve nothing less than good jobs and a good business opportunities and they are now at a disadvantage that

keystone xl will help solve. unemployment rates for young veterans are substantially higher than those of the general population. keystone xl will provide its short term jobs and other economic opportunities for those that have put their lives on the line as well as the americans in general. we understand the department of state basis for decision is whether the pipeline is a national interest dicey it's also a national security. clearly it is reducing dependency on oil from volatile regions that do not share our values increasing energy, national security and launching a shelf already john's machine would provide plenty for our young men and women returning from harm's way. >> thank you so much. it's been my friend from lancaster pennsylvania. [applause]

thank you. >> love is a four-letter word and i hope you are okay with me using it here. like many of you i have been taught to love my neighbor as thyself and in 40 years as pastor i made the principal of neighbor law of the core, the heart of my ethical message. i don't know if you consider it an offense the basis for our national interest but if you could consider it for just a moment i'm sure you will be persuaded. in my ministry a visit thousands of hospital rooms where people went for treatment. people like you is the subject to wally break down as a host of causes known and unknown. i also conducted hundreds of funerals for people whose earthly lives ended as all human life does and does each year someday we will. i've seen that each injury and each def impacts of the people. those who afflicted people love

and those who love them. you and i suffer as individuals, but our suffering causes others to suffer as well. and it's good that we are connected in this league. because we are connected, we don't want to inflict unnecessary suffering of others. we also realize it is undesirable for some of us to profit at the expense of others suffering. this brand of profiteering is the opposite of abramoff. we also agree that it's plain wrong. love says this is in justice. i am sure you know about the immense amount of money a corporation and investor stands to make from this pipeline. the citizens currently occupying in wall street, freedom plaza here in d.c. and a host of other u.s. locations. they are now in the streets crying for justice and seeking a country governed by neighbor loved rather than money love.

[laughter] [applause] [cheering] >> walt people over profit. i'm sure you know about the indigenous people who have seen rear deadly diseases skyrocket since tar sands began their costly toxic expression process the closest known for poisoning innocent people. [applause] and sure you know the acceleration upon the people of our nation perhaps even your own loved ones and mine the number of billions into weather disasters such as flooding, fiery and tornadoes are unprecedented and this will put likely grow worse. the court love says stop climate change while you can. [applause] the likelihood of this bill from

the pipeline over the nation's heartland threatens fresh water drinking supply for 20 million people loves says find a better way to. [applause] [cheering] >> thank you. we can have one more speaker. 71. susan casey. >> my name is season to the kuran anthony, policy analyst with the natural resources defense council. i am from a fourth generation family in the oil business from west texas and i know i speak

for that family when i say when presented the choice between safety and saving money, safety always comes first. however, when presented with the same choice, it appears transcanada has consistently chosen to save money. president obama told the american people his administration would do the necessary science to ensure keystone would be operated safely. his head ministration haven't followed on a promise. early in its assessment of keystone xl, the state department promised congress that its environmental review would include a study of pipeline safety by regulators in the department of transportation. no such study has ever been done. transcanada claims to the 57 conditions would address the safety risk posed by keystone xl. however, a close analysis of those conditions showed that all but 12 simply reiterate safety standards that are already

required. moreover, recently released e-mails between transcanada and the state department confirmed these conditions are met only to support a special permit that would allow keystone xl to operate at higher pressures than minimum safety standards allow. transcanada agreed to a similar set of conditions for the high pressured pipeline describing the pipeline system as one that would meet or exceed world-class safety and environmental standards. in just the first year of operation, transcanada's keystone xl pipeline had 14 weeks in the united states spilling nearly 22,000 gallons. earlier, the speaker wagered that that was less than the to the squeals bill dillinger cars in the year. i think all of us would take that wager. [applause] schoomaker the nation's first major tar sands spill in

kalamazoo michigan has demonstrated the tar sands presents -- this bill presents significant new challenges. in addition to the potential of increased spelled frequency and assessment of the physical properties indicate we would be hit differently than conventional crude. recent experience in kalamazoo michigan shows these present significant new challenges that have not yet been surmounted. after the spill across the 166,000 gallons into the kalamazoo watershed in july 2010, the environmental protection agency originally set a two month deadline for completing that cleanup. 14 months later, the of the second. the obama had been attrition -- >> i was just going to ask you if you could make your final sentence, please. >> the obama administration hasn't done the signs to evaluate the risk the points pos moving forward on keystone xl

without more due diligence putting the communities, water and in their mental resources of the united states and unnecessary risks. [applause] fishback >> ladies and gentlemen, i regret that the time has passed so quickly and we haven't had a chance to hear from all of you, so we want to reiterate that we welcome your comments, and as you've got your forms back at that table will accept them and tell you how else to do it and i also want to say for myself it was a privilege to be here and hear all of these opinions done in a very respectful and excellent way and it's a great example of american democracy. thank you very much. [applause]

>> [inaudible conversations]

watch the official dedication of the martin luther king memorial in washington, d.c.. live coverage begins at 9 a.m. eastern on c-span. no a look at a house ways and means committee marked from whence they were devoted to send the ski trade deals with colombia, panama and south korea to the floor. only two committee democrats voted in favor of the columbia

agreement. the house is expected to begin debate on all three trade deals tomorrow. the senate is expected to debate the trade agreement later this week. this is almost four hours. >> the committee will come to order. thank you. welcome to the long awaited a markup of the three pending trade agreements with colombia, panama and south korea, and we will take them up in the order they were signed and just on a personal note, i want to say it's good to be in the ways and means committee. for the past five years we've been working towards this date. these agreements enjoy broad bipartisan, bicameral support in the product of a lot of hard work from all sides.

i will also like to extend my appreciation to the president for sending these to the congress. today's market couldn't come at a better time with the zero jobs created last month and the unemployment hovering around 9% we must look tall opportunity to create american jobs and these agreements do just that. according to the president's own measure these agreements have the potential to create and support 250,000 american jobs all without adding one diamond new garment spending. combine that with the opportunity to add over $5 billion to our gross domestic product as they do and we know they are on the right path. they'll level a playing field for american workers, they also allow american companies to get off the sidelines and capture market share so they can show more american goods around the world and that's great news for american workers, from as and ranchers who of long way to the

40's. currently america is at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to trade due to tariffs and the non-tariff barriers we face when trying to export goods. the additional taxes americans are forced to pay allow our competitors to sell their goods and services of a lower-cost than american products. these agreements change that. the south korea agreement would eliminate them immediately and require south korea to open new markets to the u.s. business services. the current tariff on the experts demand as high as 10%. the average pace for the panamanian experts to the united states is less than one-tenth of 1%. this agreement with a level the playing field by making over 87% of the manufacturing fields duty free immediately. in colombia our experts face an 11% tax will facing a tariff of less than one person. our agreement will immediately reduce the average tariff our

exporters say by more than 60%. these agreements make trade fair for the american not by reducing the non-tariff barriers and the property protection and increasing transparency over the last five years, our inaction has a lot of america to fall behind. our global competitors such as the european union and canada have shall that void. when contracts and jobs that could not gone to american companies and american workers these agreements contain sustainable and well paying jobs and it is my expectation when we followed our work today the house will vote on the agreements and the package so america can start to reap the benefits. i will yield my time to my colleague, the chairman of the joint economic committee of the trade subcommittee, chairman kevin brady of texas. >> mr. chairman, thank you. next on the mark five years.

they are still not enforced. s a great cost in job-creating exporters though we are forced to wait for to long and very pleased president obama submitted these and look forward to begin benefiting from the jobs they will create. we know from experience that these three still american agreements will yield benefits. between 2002 to attend, our sales to the countries which we have trade agreements increased 50% more rabbit pt isakson proved flexible more than doubled in the passage of the u.s. the trade agreement. the game talk has been ticking while the united states delete major other economies whose workers and exporters compete with hours and have moved aggressively to sign and implement trade with colombia, panama and south korea to read these agreements have undermined our competitive edge.

the agreements are implemented, the workers and job creating exporters will continue to fall behind losing export market share that took years to build. the united states sitting on the sideline for far too long and workers and julca leaders have been building now the president said the pending trade agreement we have the opportunity to get back in the game by passing these agreements now. on a personal note mr. sherman think you for your leadership on the trade agreements and to the members of the committee who are not only strong supporters of this agreement but look forward to working these and the trade adjustment assistance swiftly to the house of representatives. i yield back to you >> do i feel like i would yield to the ranking member for any statement he wishes to make? i ask that all students be included in the record and also want to vote for the committee after a discussion with mr. levin we agreed that mutually all votes on these agreements will be rolled into the very end of the proceedings today so without objection so

ordered mr. levin. >> thank you. i would yield the balance of my time mr. chairman. >> the agreements we are considering today are different than those negotiated by the bush administration. while republicans are willing to support small agreements among democrats use the intervening period to attempt to fix them so the work for u.s. businesses and workers and spread the benefits of trade or broadly. there is no delay active efforts to hammer out good trade policy. if the south korea agreement is originally negotiated by the bush a demonstration of being approved, the fdic wouldn't have broken down the barrier to the u.s. products in the automotive sector which represents its 75% of the large u.s. trade deficit of south korea. it created a very different as is done by the obama administration. now open south korea's's market to u.s. automotive products and

a section in% president for ushering the trade agreement replaced when we trade with two-way trade for american products. with those changes i support the agreement. if the panel fda is originally negotiated by the bush administration has been approved, the fda would have been without the efforts of the obama had fenestration and of the congressional democrats which culminated with panel this year bringing its sleeper laws. into compliance with international labor standards also missing would have been the successful efforts to address concerns about animal's status and his attack haven. now rectify list by the tax information exchange agreement. that trade agreement now deserves our support. colombian workers have been without their basic rights to to a combination of inadequate laws, labor related violence in the community. workers need basic labor rates

to improve their initial sanding and climb the economic ladder. this is critical to increasing u.s. exports and jobs. the development of a middle class crete's consumers and robust markets for the product sue services. it's also vital to the u.s. workers who are correct and inserting the should not compete with workers whose rights are suppressed. the bush and administration believed trade was an end in and of itself and including the meaningful writes for the workers an impairment of standards and trade agreements. the u.s.-columbia relationship is important both economic and security terms. and the agreement does provide new market opportunities. but preventive action is despite the fact the fda opened up some important markets. it failed to address a fundamental shortcoming in terms of u.s. trade policy. the action plan related to the labor rates and no inspectors

obama net in april it was a step towards addressing the basic problems. as i was still out when we get to the columbia fta there were troubling problems with how you're addressing the key elements related to the action plan. the flaws are magnified the the failure to incorporate the action plan in the implementation bill as a result of adamant refusal of republicans and the obama administration's acquiescence to the refusal to read as a result the u.s.-columbia afghan remains fundamentally faulty and i oppose and now yield to mr. mcdermott. >> thank you mr. chairman. i oppose the columbia fda for the same reasons as congressman levin why can't i fully support the caribbean and panel fda but what i cannot understand is why we waited so long to consider

the korea and panama especially korea. they were being submitted for the consideration of last february as soon as the automobile along with extensions of the historic bipartisan program and tar sands at the apta which should have never been allowed to expire to begin with the e.u. fda which corrine is going into work. urning workers, farmers and businesses because they couldn't compete it as a result of the decisions of the fda last, trade and talked workers have suffered. as a result of this effort to expand and we will do them one day but tar sands and businesses of the united states and in developing countries that rely on these preferences have struggled to beat now with those hostage agreements are finding the her being released.

i hope we can turn our attention to the address in china's currency which is costing the united states 1 million jobs. the act deserves that immediate floor vote and we need to tackle china's the verge of killing trade distorting practices like rear restraints, subsidies, lack of i.t. enforcement and state owned enterprises.