I guess I didn’t realize it – that I may have information that others may not – until a comment was made by Meteor Blades that I should make a comment I made on another XL Pipeline diary – a diary.
Well – here goes.
I could make this about ALEC loving Koch Industries - but I think we need to look further than that when it comes to ALEC and Keystone.
And I guess the moral of the story for me on this is that the state legislators who are members of the American Legislative Exchange Council present a bigger threat to the US in relation to XL – than almost any other group.
On ALEC’s blog site today you will find the following post by Karla Jones –
From LinkedIn
Karla Jones
Director of International and Federal Relations at American
Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
Washington D.C. Metro Area | International Affairs
Comments of support for the Keystone XL Pipeline needed by Monday, April 22, 2013
Karla Jones | April 19, 2013 | Add a comment
The U.S. Department of State will accept comments through Monday, April 22, 2013 on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Keystone XL Project. Comments of support for the pipeline should be submitted to keystonecomments@state.gov.
The Task Force on International Relations has concluded that ultimate approval for the pipeline is in the national interest, for the following reasons:
She forgot to say THE ALEC Task Force on International Relations
This is the task force where foreign nationals sit down with US state legislators and write “model legislation” to be passed in US state houses – without oversight by the US State Department.
And here is what the THE ALEC Task Force on International Relations, and the foreign nationals in that task force says about XL
The Keystone XL Pipeline is environmentally sound. According to the Environmental Impact Statement released by the U.S. Department of State in 2011, “the Keystone XL Pipeline will have a degree of safety over any other typically constructed pipeline under current code and a degree of safety along the entire length of the pipeline system similar to that which is required in High Consequence Areas;”
construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline would add less than 1 percent of additional pipeline to America’s current 180,000 miles of pipeline;
transporting Canadian oil via pipeline is significantly less risky than other modes of transport, such as rail;
Canada will continue to develop Alberta’s oil sands with or without the Keystone XL, but construction of the Keystone XL will result in thousands of American jobs;
the Province of Alberta has proven itself a responsible steward of the environment, restoring Boreal forests to their original condition once oil sands mining operations in an area are completed; and
the Keystone XL pipeline will also transport oil from the Bakken fields of North Dakota, facilitating the already strong economic growth there.
Oh – by the way – Transcanada Pipelines is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)..
From the Common Cause documents
July 2010
American Legislative Exchange Council
Natural Resources Task Force
Beth Jensen
Private Sector Member (M1)
Manager, Government Relations
TransCanada
13710 FNB Parkway
Omaha, NE 68154
Phone: 402.492.3400 FAX: 402.492.7491
Then in
November of 2011 ALEC International Relations Task Force Meeting
First you had this:
Presentation:
Keystone XL – A Critical Project for America
Mr. Michael Whatley (Consumer Energy Alliance)
Followed by this:
“Resolution in Support of the Keystone XL Pipeline”
Sponsored by Ms. Brandie Davis (Philip Morris International)
Resolution in Support of the Keystone 1 XL Pipeline BE IT RESOLVED BY THE [INSERT LEGISLATIVE BODY] OF THE STATE OF [INSERT STATE]:
WHEREAS, The United States relies – and will continue to rely for many years – on gasoline, diesel and jet fuel despite the recent focus on renewable and alternative sources of energy. In order to fuel our economy, the United States will need more oil and natural gas while also requiring additional alternative energy sources such as ethanol and other renewable energy sources; and
WHEREAS, The United States currently depends on foreign imports for more than half of our petroleum usage. As the largest consumer of petroleum in the world, our dependence on overseas oil has created difficult geopolitical relationships with damaging consequences for our national security; and
WHEREAS, oil shale deposits in the Bakken Reserves in Montana and North Dakota and South Dakota are an increasingly important crude oil resource, with an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil, and there is not enough pipeline capacity for crude oil supplies from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas to American refineries; and
WHEREAS, Canadian oil reserves contain an estimated 173 billion barrels of recoverable oil. Canada is the single largest supplier of oil to the United States at 2.62 million barrels per day and has the capacity to significantly increase that rate; and 7
WHEREAS, the Keystone XL pipeline will, when completed, carry 700,000 barrels of North American oil to American refineries in the Gulf Coast region and construction of the project will create 120,000 jobs nationwide, create $20 billion in economic growth and generate millions of dollars worth of government receipts; and
WHEREAS, A recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy found that increasing delivery to American refineries from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Alberta, as well as Texas and Oklahoma to American refineries has the potential to substantially reduce our country's dependency on sources outside of North America; and
WHEREAS, Canada sends more than 99% of its oil exports to the United States, the bulk of which goes to Midwestern refineries. Oil companies are investing huge sums to expand and upgrade refineries in the Midwest and elsewhere to make gasoline and other refined products from Canadian oil derived from oil sands. The expansion and upgrade projects will create many new construction jobs over the next five years and, in [INSERT STATE], substantially add to our state's gross state product; and
WHEREAS, The same money used to buy North American oil will likely later be spent directly on U.S. goods and services in contrast with the money sent to hostile oil-producing governments that is later used to further anti-democratic agendas. Supporting the continued shift towards reliable and secure sources of North American oil is of vital interest to the United States and the state of [INSERT STATE].
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the members of the [INSERT LEGISLATIVE BODY] of the state of [INSERT STATE], support continued and increased development and delivery of oil derived from North American oil reserves to American refineries, urge Congress to support that continued and increased development and delivery, and urge Congress to ask the U.S. Secretary of State to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project that has been awaiting a presidential permit since 2008 to reduce dependence on unstable governments, improve our national security, and strengthen ties with an important ally; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the [INSERT STATE LEGISLATIVE BODY] transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, to the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, to the members of the [INSERT STATE] Congressional delegation, and to the news media of [INSERT STATE].
And it doesn’t stop there – ALEC state legislators went to Alberta
Alberta Bound: Observations from the Canadian Oil Sands
ALEC Blog Team | April 3, 2013 | Add a comment
Alberta Bound: Observations from the Canadian Oil Sands
By the Honorable John Piscopo, CT (HD-76)
ALEC National Chair
Like everyone else, I had heard about the vast reserves of crude oil in Canada called the “Oil Sands,” so I jumped at the chance when given the opportunity to tour and learn more about them. I flew to Calgary in the Province of Alberta, where my first impression of the people was a genuine friendliness in the midst of a city experiencing dramatic and rapid growth. Our small group of nine ALEC member legislators and ALEC’s International Relations Task Force Director met in the hotel lobby and walked from there to our first stop at the headquarters of pipeline manufacturer and operator, TransCanada, to learn about the pipeline itself. Company representatives gave us a quick overview of the company, its products, and safety procedures stressing their exemplary safety track record. They are responsible for pipelines that already go the distance through Canada, and much of the US. To say I was impressed is an understatement.
Who paid for that trip?
ALEC Corporate member TransCanada?
And I have to ask myself
Why isn’t the ultra-secretive state legislators of the American Legislative Exchange Council acknowledging their part in the XL Pipeline, publicly – bragging about their XL Pipeline success to this point?
ALEC boasts over and over and over again that it has
2,000+ state legislators that support ALEC policy - which would include the ALEC policy on the XL pipeline
96 members of the US Congress that support ALEC policy - which would include the ALEC policy on the XL pipeline
ALEC DOES NOT BOAST ABOUT
the number of other state or federal officials
who support ALEC policy
which could be a major issue for America.
Think about this one
2010 American Legislative Exchange Council
Natural Resources Task Force as of July 1st, 2010
Greg Williams , Advisor
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue,
Washington, DC 20585
Phone: (202) 586-6655 FAX: (202) 586-7314
And I guess the moral of the story for me on this is that the federal officials and state legislators who are members of the American Legislative Exchange Council present a bigger threat to the US in relation to XL – than almost any other group.