Northern Route Approval Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARDNER. I thank the chairman for yielding time and leading this great debate.

You know, we've heard a lot of talk today about job creation, about the number of jobs that would be created by the Keystone pipeline.

As somebody who actually lives above the Ogallala Aquifer, I hate to break it to people in this Chamber who apparently don't believe it, but we actually have pipelines already above the Ogallala Aquifer.

We have jobs being created right now because of energy opportunity in the United States and Canada. The fact that we can create 20,000 jobs is a good thing, the fact that the National Federation of Independent Businesses support this pipeline; The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, manufacturers, the labor unions support the construction of this pipeline.

It saddens me to think that this debate has come down to a debate over job snobs, people who believe that these aren't the kinds of jobs that we want, the kind of people that we want working on these jobs. It's not about whether this is a pipeline that is good or bad for the environment. It's people who believe that these aren't the kinds of jobs that we want in this country. I think it's a shame that we're having that debate on the House floor right now.

These jobs are good enough for America. These are the kinds of jobs that we want--high-paying jobs to put people to work, to feed families, to present opportunities for the American people in a country that has seen unemployment far too high for far too long.

It's time the hijacking of this agenda ends. Let's develop our own energy in North America.

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