HR0243 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0243 LRB099 11183 MST 31692 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The United States relies on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel despite the recent focus on renewable and alternative sources of energy, and it will continue to rely on those fuels for many years; and

WHEREAS, In order to fuel our economy, the United States will need more oil and natural gas while also requiring additional alternative energy sources; and

WHEREAS, The United States currently depends on foreign imports for more than half of its petroleum usage, and it is the largest consumer of petroleum in the world; U.S. dependence on overseas oil has created geopolitical relationships with potentially damaging consequences for our national security; and

WHEREAS, Oil deposits in the Bakken Reserves of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota are an increasingly important crude oil resource; it contains 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 reach American refineries; and

WHEREAS, Canadian oil reserves contain an estimated 173 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and Canada is the single largest supplier of oil to the United States at 2.62 million barrels per day; Canada has the capacity to significantly increase that rate; and

WHEREAS, The Keystone XL pipeline will, when completed, carry 700,000 barrels of North American crude oil to American refineries in the Gulf Coast region; and

WHEREAS, Construction of the project will create 120,000 jobs nationwide, including 20,000 in construction and manufacturing, 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 of crude oil 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 dependence 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 5 years and substantially add to the gross product of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Ninety percent of the money used to buy Canadian oil will likely later be spent directly on U.S. goods and services in contrast with increasing the trade relationship with unstable regions; 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 Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend the members of Congress of the United States who have called for the expansion and completion of the Keystone XL pipeline system; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon the President of the United States and his administration to speed up the process of granting final permits to enable construction to begin on the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline network for reasons of consumer protection and national security; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we request that the United States Department of Defense make a public statement as to the desirability of maximizing the production of fossil fuels within the boundaries of North America as part of our overall worldwide strategic position in relations to nations that do not wish well to the United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent to members of the Illinois congressional delegation, the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the United States Secretary of Energy, and the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.