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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The United States relies, and will continue to
3rely for many years, on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel despite
4the recent focus on renewable and alternative sources of
5energy; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In order to fuel our economy, the United States
7will need more oil and natural gas, while also requiring
8additional alternative energy sources; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The United States currently depends on foreign
10imports for more than one half of its petroleum usage and is
11the largest consumer of petroleum in the world; U.S.
12dependence on overseas oil has created difficult geopolitical
13relationships, with potentially damaging consequences for our
14national security; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Oil deposits in the Bakken Reserves of Montana,
16North Dakota, and South Dakota are an increasingly important
17crude oil resource, representing an estimated 11 billion
18barrels of recoverable crude oil; there is not enough pipeline
19capacity for crude oil supplies from Montana, North Dakota,
20South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas to American refineries; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Canadian oil reserves contain an estimated 170

 

 

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1billion barrels of recoverable oil; Canada is the
2single-largest supplier of oil to the United States at four
3million barrels per day and has the capacity to significantly
4increase that rate; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Keystone XL pipeline will, when completed,
6carry 700,000 barrels of North American crude oil to American
7refineries; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Construction of the project will create 120,000
9jobs nationwide, including 20,000 in construction and
10manufacturing, create $20 billion in economic growth, and
11generate millions of dollars' worth of government receipts;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, Studies have found that increasing delivery of
14crude oil from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
15Alberta, as well as Texas and Oklahoma, to American refineries
16has the potential to substantially reduce our country's
17dependency on sources outside of North America; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Canada sends more than 99 percent of its oil
19exports to the United States, the bulk of which goes to
20Midwestern refineries, and oil companies are investing huge
21sums to expand and upgrade refineries in the Midwest and
22elsewhere to make gasoline and other refined products from

 

 

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1Canadian oil derived from oil sands; the expansion and upgrade
2projects will create many new construction jobs and
3substantially add to the gross product of Illinois; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Ninety percent of the money used to buy Canadian
5oil will likely later be spent directly on U.S. goods and
6services in contrast with increasing the trade relationship
7with unstable regions; supporting the continued shift toward
8reliable and secure sources of North American oil is of vital
9interest to the United States and the State of Illinois;
10therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we support the continued and increased development and
14delivery of oil derived from North American oil reserves to
15American and Illinois refineries; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we urge Congress to support continued and
17increased development and delivery of oil from Canada to the
18United States; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That we urge approval of the Keystone XL
20pipeline project to ensure America's oil independence, improve
21our national security, reduce the cost of gasoline, create new
22jobs, and strengthen ties between the United States and

 

 

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1Canada; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
3delivered to the President of the United States, the United
4States Secretary of the Interior, the United States Secretary
5of Transportation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
6and all members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.