The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE AND COAL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H1171-H1172 on Feb. 26, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE AND COAL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mooney) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, with his veto of the Keystone XL pipeline, the President has again decided to stand with radical environmentalists at the expense of the American people. Republicans and Democrats came together in both Houses of Congress to pass this commonsense bill, yet the President has seen fit to deny the American people the new jobs it would create.
The President has a demonstrated record of picking favorites in the energy industry. We all remember how the President steered billions in taxpayer dollars to Solyndra, only to see the flawed solar company collapse.
In 2014 alone, the Department of Energy directed over $1.9 billion in taxpayer dollars to investments in alternative energy. At the same time, the President has waged war on West Virginia energy jobs. This year, the administration is expected to ratchet up that war with new ozone standards and a new stream buffer zone rule. These overreaching regulations are intentionally designed to kill coal, with devastating outcomes for West Virginia and our entire Nation.
Coal supplies over 90 percent of energy consumed in West Virginia. An escalation of the President's war on coal would cause families in West Virginia to see huge increases in their home energy prices. The escalation would also have a terrible impact on jobs in our State. The American Mining Association has projected that the new stream buffer zone regulation would destroy as many as 85,000 jobs in the Appalachian region.
The administration has also held up permitting for natural gas exports and proposed damaging regulations on the exploration of new natural gas deposits. The Keystone veto further confirms the President's commitment to continuing his obstructionist agenda.
With so much at stake for West Virginia families, we must strengthen our resolve like never before to fight for an energy policy which allows the free market and consumers to choose, not government to discriminate.
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