Bill Text: OH HCR9 | 2013-2014 | 130th General Assembly | Enrolled

---

Bill Title: As Adopted by the House 130th General AssemblyRegular Session2013-2014H. C. R. No. 9 Representative Adams, J.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 54-11)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-03-21 - To Public Utilities [HCR9 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2013-HCR9-Enrolled.html

---

As Adopted by the House

130th General Assembly Regular Session 2013-2014

H. C. R. No. 9

Representative Adams, J. 

Cosponsors: Representatives Grossman, Hood, Hottinger, Retherford, Brenner, Duffey, Thompson, Boose, Hill, Stautberg, Derickson, Beck, Becker, Rosenberger, Hall, Johnson, Sears, Wachtmann, Adams, R., Henne, Brown, Buchy, Green, Hackett, Maag, Lynch, Sprague, Roegner, Dovilla, Milkovich, Huffman, Gerberry, Cera, Fedor, Anielski, Baker, Barborak, Blessing, Burkley, Butler, Conditt, Damschroder, Hagan, C., Hayes, Kunze, Landis, Letson, Lundy, McClain, McGregor, Pelanda, Perales, Romanchuk, Ruhl, Scherer, Schuring, Slesnick, Smith, Stebelton, Sykes, Szollosi, Terhar, Young Speaker Batchelder 

---

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

To urge the United States Department of State to

1

approve the presidential permit application

2

allowing the construction and operation of the

3

TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline between the

4

United States and Canada.

5

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE SENATE CONCURRING):

WHEREAS, The United States accounts for 20% of world energy	6
consumption and is the world's largest petroleum consumer,	7
consuming 15 million barrels of oil each day, and these amounts	8
are not forecasted to change for decades; and	9

WHEREAS, Current oil imports amount to over 8 million barrels	10
each day, approximately 50% of the United States' requirements;	11
and	12

WHEREAS, The United States will remain dependent on imported	13
energy for decades regardless of new technology, oil discoveries,	14
alternative fuels, and conservation efforts; and	15

WHEREAS, A secure supply of crude oil is needed by Americans	16
for heating their homes, cooking their food, and fueling their	17
vehicles, and to allow the United States economy to thrive and be	18
freed from the potential threats and disruptions of the crude oil	19
supply from less secure parts of the world; and	20

WHEREAS, The growing production of conflict-free oil from the	21
Canadian oil sands and the Bakken formation in Saskatchewan,	22
Montana, and North Dakota can replace crude oil imported from	23
countries that do not share American values and therefore	24
additional pipeline capacity to refineries in the United States	25
Midwest and Gulf Coast regions is required; and	26

WHEREAS, Increasing energy imports from Canada makes sense	27
for the United States because Canada is a trusted neighbor with a	28
stable democratic government, strong environmental standards equal	29
to that of the United States, and some of the most stringent human	30
rights and worker protection laws in the world; and	31

WHEREAS, Improvements in production technology continue to	32
reduce the carbon footprint of Canadian oil sands development; and	33

WHEREAS, Oil sands production accounts for 6.5% of Canada's	34
greenhouse gas emissions and 0.1% of global greenhouse gas	35
emissions, and total emissions from Canada's oil sands sector was	36
45 megatons in 2009 which is equivalent to 3.5% of emissions from	37
United States coal fired power generation in the same year,	38
despite oil sands crude having similar carbon dioxide emissions to	39
other heavy oils and being 6% more carbon-intensive than the	40
United States crude supply average on a wells-to-wheels basis; and	41

WHEREAS, The 58 refineries in the Gulf Coast region provide a	42
total refining capacity of approximately 8.4 million barrels per	43
day, or nearly half of the United States' refining capacity; and	44

WHEREAS, In 2009, Gulf Coast region refineries imported	45
approximately 5 million barrels per day of crude oil from more	46
than 40 countries with 21% coming from Mexico, 17% from Venezuela,	47
12% from Saudi Arabia, and 11% from Nigeria; and	48

WHEREAS, Crude oil imports from Mexico and Venezuela are	49
declining as production from those countries decreases and supply	50
contracts expire; and	51

WHEREAS, Once completed, the TransCanada's Keystone XL and	52
Gulf Coast Pipeline Projects could displace roughly 40% of the oil	53
the United States currently imports from the Middle East and	54
Venezuela; and	55

WHEREAS, The Keystone XL Pipeline Project has been subject to	56
the most thorough public consultation process of any proposed	57
United States pipeline and the subject of multiple environmental	58
impact statements and several United States Department of State	59
studies that have concluded that the Pipeline poses the least	60
impact to the environment as compared to, and is much safer than,	61
other modes of transporting crude oil; and	62

WHEREAS, Pipelines are the safest method for the	63
transportation of petroleum products when compared to other	64
methods of transportation - for example, transporting by pipeline	65
is 100 times safer than transporting by truck and 40 times safer	66
than transporting by rail; and	67

WHEREAS, The Keystone XL Pipeline will replace the hauling	68
capacity of a tanker train that is 25 miles long or 200 ocean	69
tankers per year thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions by as	70
much as 19 million tons, which is the equivalent of taking almost	71
4 million cars off the road; and	72

WHEREAS, The Keystone XL Pipeline Project will support over	73
10,000 jobs in United States construction and manufacturing	74
industries such as pipefitting, welding, electrical, heavy	75
equipment operating, and other sectors in virtually every state in	76
the United States; and	77

WHEREAS, 75% of the pipe used to build the Keystone XL	78
Pipeline in the United States will come from North American mills,	79
including half made by workers in the United States, and goods for	80
the pipeline valued at approximately $800 million have already	81
been sourced from manufacturers in the United States; now	82
therefore be it	83

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the Ohio House of	84
Representatives of the 130th General Assembly, respectfully urge	85
the United States Department of State to approve the presidential	86
permit application allowing the construction and operation of the	87
TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline between the United States and	88
Canada in order to strengthen the United States' energy security,	89
provide for critical pipeline infrastructure to achieve North	90
American energy independence, and to stimulate the economy and	91
create jobs; and be it further	92

RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives	93
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the	94
Secretary of State of the United States, the President of the	95
United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of	96
Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the	97
United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional	98
delegation, and the news media of Ohio.	99