North American-Made Energy Security Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUSH. I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, during both the subcommittee and full committee markups, I offered my amendment to delete a finding that I thought was particularly misleading.

Finding No. 15 states: ``Analysis using the Environmental Protection Agency models shows that the Keystone XL pipeline will result in no significant change in total United States or global greenhouse gas emissions.''

My amendment was defeated on a party-line vote after my colleagues on the other side insisted that the statement was indeed true. Well, Madam Chair, I took it upon myself to write a letter to the EPA asking the agency to weigh in on the accuracy of this finding, and this was the agency's reply:

``EPA has conducted no modeling, nor provided any models, to analyze the likely effect of the Keystone XL pipeline on U.S. or global greenhouse gas emissions. The language in the above finding is therefore incorrect.''

The official EPA statement went on to say:

``As detailed in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Keystone XL project issued by the Department of State, the Department of Energy directed a contractor to conduct modeling on potential impacts of the project. EPA provided some data to be used in that effort, but EPA models were not used and EPA did not model any projected emissions effects of the project.''

Madam Chairman, there are some who believe that the majority does not care about facts or truth or science or climate change if these facts and otherwise get in the way of industry moving forward unfettered. Well, by voting for my amendment, we have an opportunity to set the record straight and prove to the American people that when a statement is demonstrably shown to be false, then Members of Congress from both sides, Democrat or Republican, will put their partisan differences aside and stand on the side of truth. Know ye the truth and the truth shall set you free.

So I urge all my colleagues to support my corrective amendment in order to correct this misleading statement contained in the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. RUSH. Madam Chair, this is simply an argument over whether or not this House will allow demonstrably false information in this bill to move forward even though we have documentation from the very agency in question stating that the information is false. This is the letter. This is the letter. It's a letter dated June 22, and it says:

``EPA has conducted no modeling, nor provided any models, to analyze the likely effect of the Keystone XL pipeline on U.S. or global greenhouse gas emissions. The language in the above finding is therefore incorrect.''

How clear can it be that the EPA states beyond a shadow of a doubt that this particular passage in this bill is false, is misleading? And if, in fact, we vote to enact this wrong piece of legislation, not only is it wrongheaded, it's wrong in its effort. If we vote to pass this legislation, then we are perpetuating a falsehood.

Madam Chair, this Congress stands for a greater and higher standard than to vote for something that we know is false. We know it's not accurate. The other side knows it's not accurate. But if industry wants it, if it's accurate or not, industry, according to them, must have it. And I say industry must not have it. We should have to stand for the truth in this Congress, and the truth is that the EPA did not conduct any model.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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