HR0243LRB099 11183 MST 31692 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The United States relies on gasoline, diesel, and
3jet fuel despite the recent focus on renewable and alternative
4sources of energy, and it will continue to rely on those fuels
5for many years; 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 half of its petroleum usage, and it is
11the largest consumer of petroleum in the world; U.S. dependence
12on overseas oil has created geopolitical relationships with
13potentially damaging consequences for our national security;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Oil deposits in the Bakken Reserves of Montana,
16North Dakota, and South Dakota are an increasingly important
17crude oil resource; it contains an estimated 11 billion barrels
18of recoverable crude oil and there is not enough pipeline
19capacity for crude oil supplies from Montana, North Dakota,
20South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas to reach American refineries;
21and
 

 

 

HR0243- 2 -LRB099 11183 MST 31692 r

1    WHEREAS, Canadian oil reserves contain an estimated 173
2billion barrels of recoverable oil, and Canada is the single
3largest supplier of oil to the United States at 2.62 million
4barrels per day; Canada has the capacity to significantly
5increase that rate; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Keystone XL pipeline will, when completed,
7carry 700,000 barrels of North American crude oil to American
8refineries in the Gulf Coast region; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Construction of the project will create 120,000
10jobs nationwide, including 20,000 in construction and
11manufacturing, create $20 billion in economic growth, and
12generate millions of dollars' worth of government receipts; and
 
13    WHEREAS, A recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy
14found that increasing delivery of crude oil from Montana, North
15Dakota, South Dakota, and Alberta, as well as Texas and
16Oklahoma to American refineries has the potential to
17substantially reduce our country's dependence on sources
18outside of North America; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Canada sends more than 99% of its oil exports to
20the United States, the bulk of which goes to Midwestern
21refineries; oil companies are investing huge sums to expand and
22upgrade refineries in the Midwest and elsewhere to make

 

 

HR0243- 3 -LRB099 11183 MST 31692 r

1gasoline and other refined products from Canadian oil derived
2from oil sands; the expansion and upgrade projects will create
3many new construction jobs over the next 5 years and
4substantially add to the gross product of Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Ninety percent of the money used to buy Canadian
6oil will likely later be spent directly on U.S. goods and
7services in contrast with increasing the trade relationship
8with unstable regions; supporting the continued shift towards
9reliable and secure sources of North American oil is of vital
10interest to the United States and the State of Illinois;
11therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14commend the members of Congress of the United States who have
15called for the expansion and completion of the Keystone XL
16pipeline system; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we call upon the President of the United
18States and his administration to speed up the process of
19granting final permits to enable construction to begin on the
20completion of the Keystone XL pipeline network for reasons of
21consumer protection and national security; and be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That we request that the United States Department

 

 

HR0243- 4 -LRB099 11183 MST 31692 r

1of Defense make a public statement as to the desirability of
2maximizing the production of fossil fuels within the boundaries
3of North America as part of our overall worldwide strategic
4position in relations to nations that do not wish well to the
5United States; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent
7to members of the Illinois congressional delegation, the
8President of the United States, the United States Secretary of
9Defense, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the
10United States Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the
11United States Environmental Protection Agency.