i would also like to thank jack martinson, and senator mcgovern's daughter and senator mcgovern as well. a big thank-you to our guests can i end with your final thoughts, since you are the presidential author here? what is the legacy of george mcgovern? >> again, he transformed the democratic party in ways that very few people in american politics have ever transform a party. his food for peace, his humanitarian efforts on behalf of the nation's hungry may be his greatest legacy. who knows how many people are alive because of george mcgovern. also, bill clinton was his texas coordinator. the campaign spawned a lot of idealists that went into politics and made a name for themselves. for a man that lost the presidential election, he probably had more influence than many who won. >> thank you both. >> it was a flood. people were trying to keep the greenback -- keep the river back. he took off his jacket. he filled three sandbags, setting a low, went back to the plane. the night, it was him filling sandbags with his shirt off. >> they talk about the legacy of ronald reagan. they discuss the american dream and opportunities in the u.s.. the astronauts are awarded the congressional medal of honor. for the entire thanksgiving day schedule, go to c-span.org. >> he did not have a lot of romantic ideas. he sought it for what it was, a dirty business. >> the documentary filmmaker examines the life of his father. >> my father changed after he was thrown out of the agency. if you watched the film closely, he is a soldier. he took on the toughest, dirtiest assignments given to him by the presidents. when it came time for the president to ask him to lie and mislead congress, he could not do it. >> that is tonight at 8:00 eastern and pacific. >> on friday, a house energy and commerce subcommittee hearing focused on the pipeline project. the obama administration is delaying a decision until after the election. republicans and labor unions say the delay is costing jobs. if approved, the pipeline would run from canada through six u.s. states. this is just over two hours. >> the obama administration led us to believe they would make a bycision on the pipeline t december 31, 2011. the administration says they are incapable of making a decision before 2013. i might add that the original application was filed in april of 2008. in the meantime, thousands of american workers are forced to wait at least another year for possibly the most shovel-ready of all projects. the announcement to the way the decision until after next year appears to be blatantly political. the president had a golden opportunity to take bold action in create jobs. he declined to do so. it appears he is appeasing environmentalists and casting aside the opportunity to create jobs. opponents of the pipeline deceive the public with a series of misguided statements such as how pipelines are dangerous or that the pipeline will increase gasoline prices or how killing the pipeline will stop oil sands production. rather than confront the opinions with my own words, i want to simply read a series of quotations. having canada as a supplier of our oil is much more comforting than having other countries supply our oil. that is secretary of energy stephen chu. synthetic crude oil and eluted bitumen -- synthetic diluted bitumen a similar to that being refined in gulf coast refineries. gasoline prices in all markets served by the gulf coast refiners would decrease from including in the midwest. that was the deputy assistant secretary of energy. it is naive to think the oil sands would not be developed if they do not fill the pipeline. that was former white house economic adviser austan goolsbee. the president's own advisers make numerous statements about the pipeline that completely but ebut allments -- r arguments. why does the administration insist on waiting to make a decision on the project? i think it is safe to assume the latest delay has nothing to do with pipeline safety or even the state of nebraska. it has everything to do with appeasing a small, vocal group of opponents of the project. congress makes policy decisions based on our best information and judgment. the most important decisions we make involve economic and policy risks. since the president did not act, congress must act. if we do nothing, the american people will have to wait at least another year until after the election to enjoy the benefit of the energy security and jobs the pipeline can bring. we must find a way forward. we must find it fast. today we want to explore what the pipeline means to our job creation and the economy. we want to know what remains of the review process and help it can be corrected. the pipeline and hazardous safet -- material safety administration -- this is the most technologically advanced and safest pipeline ever proposed. it has 16,000 datapoints to monitor flow rates, pressure, and detect leaks. that is one sensor for every 548 feet. i want to thank the witnesses for being here to explore this important project. we look forward to your testimony. i would like to yield and recognize the ranking member of the sub-committee for his opening statement. >> today we are holding a hearing to discuss ways to force the obama administration to expeditiously make a decision on the keystone xl pipeline. even after the republican- controlled legislature and the governor in nebraska just recently voted to reroute the pipeline away from the ecologically sensitive sand hills region in the district. as i and stand it, the nebraska bill was just signed into law two weeks ago on november 22. it is formalizing the state planned to conduct its own supplemental environmental review of a yet to be determined new route for the pipeline. the state-level review will not even be completed before mid to late 2012. it is hard for me to believe those who believe in states' rights want to trample over the rights of the state of nebraska. i believe it is appropriate and necessary for the administration to conduct a thorough review of the pipeline 's new proposed route before they issue a final decision. we understand that safety laws and safeguards are secondary in importance to allowing industries to move toward unfettered and under-restricted. i believe the obama administration is asking -- acting prudently and responsibly and legally as the law requires in allowing the state of nebraska to conduct its own environmental review of the new route, making its own decision on the new proposed route. if this was truly about jobs for my republican colleagues, they would not be trying to stifle every aspect of every job- creation program that president obama has been pushing congress to our own, improving -- approving new infrastructure projects that would put thousands of construction workers back to work. if this committee -- if my republican colleagues wanted to work on creating jobs, why not support the american jobs act? it appears to me that this is just one more in a long line of opportunities for my republican colleagues to try to hammer the obama administration and portrayed the president as not doing enough to spur job creation when in fact, it is the majority party in this house that have not -- that have stated their number one priority and main goal is to make president obama fail regardless of how it affects the rest of the country. i am interested to hear from all of our panelists on the issue of jobs stemming from the pipeline as well as the research and development of green alternative fuel projects. i yield the rest of my time to mr. green. >> thank you for allowing me to give a statement. i was extremely disappointed with the state department announcing the additional delay of at least 15 months on the permit for the pipeline. it has been 38 months since transcanada first filed an application to build and operate the keystone project. this demonstrates extensive review has gone towards the pipeline. other pipelines were granted within 24 months. is in our national interest to have a stable source of crude oil. there are thousands of jobs on the line. our economy is still trying to recover. i represent five refineries in the houston area the like to be customers of our closest neighbor to the north. i am disappointed in the direction the administration has taken. i hope the project can avoid this the way. our construction workers cannot afford delay. i appreciate your inviting my friends to be witnesses before the committee. my hope is the committee will develop thoughtful legislation that can pass the house and senate. this issue has become a contentious. it is about jobs and energy security. thank you for your time. and recognize mr. upton for his statement. >> the white house has assured us the final decision on the pipeline would come by the end of 2011. we approved earlier legislation on the house floor to guarantee return the decision on the long overdue project. a formal statement of the ministers and policy called the bill unnecessary because the state department was committed to reaching a decision by december 31. last month, the white house announced what many of us had feared. this is administration had no intention of making a decision on this vital project. the longer the project is delayed, the louder the advocates and detractors have become. environmentalists tried to halt oil sands production. it will continue regardless of this decision. workers represented by some of today's witnesses are clamoring for the immense job creation potential of the pipeline. i am willing to take the position the white house put off until after the election in november. the administration called a 14- month time out. the president had a chance to greenlight a private sector project that would immediately create 20,000 jobs, strengthen our energy security, and create an additional 118,000 spin-off jobs. he did not do that. instead he placed election politics about jobs in the country. the president has been using the ," but "we can't wait wait is what he told the employees and families. unfortunately, this could last for ever. another lengthy delay could kill the project. we are not the only country in need of canada's oil supplies. our northern neighbor could look to other customers around the globe if we continue to stall. the canadian prime minister recently talked about the necessity of canada making sure they're able to access asian markets for energy projects. he said that would be an important priority of his government going forward, particularly if we continue to say no. this pipeline is a rare opportunity for us to access energy from our closest friend and ally, reduce dependence on less reliable sources. have we learned nothing since 1973? a steady stream from canada delivered to u.s. refineries at the lowest transportation cost could save -- stabilize oil prices and those of gas and other refined products. it makes sense to keep the refining at home. that means jobs and stable supplies. i recently visited a pipe manufacturer with miles of pipe ready to go on this very. fine. without a decision, it sits in his stock. waiting for the white house to do the right thing and say yes to american jobs and to increase our energy security. the hearing allows us to discuss where we go from here, take a closer look at a pipeline and the promise for job creation. i look forward to hearing from the witnesses. i yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from nebraska. >> thank you for yielding time to me. this is about jobs. good, high-paying labor jobs. i think we have a good solution going for it. the bill will be introduced after the hearing today with the support of the full committee chair, the subcommittee chair, and i think everybody sitting here. it would recognize nebraska's compromise to move the pipeline often -- off of the sand hills area and route it. it is the goal of those engaged in negotiations to have the siding and in our middle studies finished within about six months. it is a move of about 60 miles off of sensitive areas. that is it the to the compromise. the bill i am introducing recognizes that when nebraska office of internal quality is finished they will submit it according to our legislation to the expert agency in pipelines and will understand much greater than the state department about pipeline safety. there will be a clock of 30 days to review the supplemental to the supplemental to the eis to determine if it is appropriate. then we will issue the permit. the point is to avoid the politics and get to the jobs. i yield back. >> are recognized the ranking member of the full committee, mr. waxman, for his opening statement. >> we all want more jobs. that is why i support the president's jobs program. it is being blocked by the republicans. they do not want it to be paid for by any increases on taxes on billionaires in this country. instead, they want to get jobs from areas that benefit some of their best friends, the oil companies particularly. my greatest concern is that the keystone xl would make as more reliable on the dirtiest source of fuel available. the tar sands emit more carbon pollution and conventional oil -- than conventional oil, almost 40%. this pipeline would carry a sludge through the middle of america on 80,000 mile pipeline. it takes huge amounts of energy to take something the consistency of tar from canada and turn it into synthetic oil. we should be reducing our oil dependence and using cleaner fuel. keystone is a big step in the opposite direction. by moving tar sands oil to the gulf coast refineries, the keystone xl pipeline would open world markets to tarzan's oil. the pipeline would remove the existing restraints on production, dramatically increasing carbon production for decades. it would be the equivalent to building five large coal-fired power plants. last month, the international energy agency issued its authority of outlook for 2011. iea found that in just five years, business as usual investments in energy infrastructure will lock in enough carbon pollution to commit the world to potentially devastating warming and 11 degrees fahrenheit or more. the chief economist called such an outcome "a catastrophe for all of us. we face a choice of making the necessary changes in our energy infrastructure to mitigate the damage. keystone xl is the wrong choice. supporters make a number of arguments that do not stand up to scrutiny. they say the pipeline will enhance energy security for the united states. the department of energy found we will have access pipeline capacity from canada -- excess pipeline capacity from canada for the next decade without keystone. there's nothing to stop gulf coast refineries from exporting refined product. that does not improve our energy security. the obama administration's fuel economy standards will do more to boost our security by saving 1.8 billion barrels of oil wells saving consumers money at the pump. -- while saving consumers money at the pump. republicans are beating up on the obama administration for these standards. proponents say if we do not build a pipeline, the oil will go to asia. there are legal and political hurdles for a large new pipeline, including a unified opposition from more than 70 first nations with land and water rights on the pipeline route. a ban also exists of the british columbia coast. alberta energy minister said absent new parklands, the greatest risk is that by 2020 we will be landlocked. one argument we will hear today is legitimate. the project would produce several thousand short-term construction jobs. it is on the minds of us and our witnesses today. people need jobs, particularly in the hard-hit construction industry. with this project, we will be paying a very high price over a long time for some short-term benefits. instead we should be focusing on good, clean energy jobs that are going to last. there's going to be $38 trillion investment in new infrastructure of the next 20 years. our new economic growth and national security will be determined by whether we succeed in building these new industries. i support the administration decision to take additional time to do a thorough evaluation of the climate and other environmental impacts of the proposed pipeline. it is imperative we start to move to a clean energy economy now. keystone xl would take us in the opposite direction. i yield back time. i ask consent from my full statement to be made part of the record. i ask unanimous consent that we enter into the record written statements from the transport workers' union of america. it discusses the reasons for their opposition to the pipeline. the global institute parkland -- testimony discusses the project. the institute's conclusion is it will create far fewer jobs than has been claimed. >> without objection. i would also like to ask unanimous consent for rebuttal to the study be placed into the record as well. i would like to introduce our witnesses. thank you for taking time to do with us today on this important issue. we have mr. alex pourbaix. we have the director of the construction department for the labor union of north america. we have the assistant director of the international union of operating engineers. we have mr. david burnett, the special representative for the united association of journeymen and apprentices of the plumbing and pipe fitting industry of the united states and canada, pipeline division. we have mr. burton, the international representative for the brotherhood of electrical workers. we have the chief business officer of bard holdings incorporated. we have the executive director of bowls, nebraska. we will recognize each one of you for 5 minutes for your opening statement. when the light goes red, your five minutes are up. we will try to get through opening statements before we have votes on the floor. mr. pourbaix, i will recognize you for 5 minutes for your opening statement. please be sure and put your microphone on. >> transcanada is a $50 billion infrastructure company with more than six years of experience in the responsible development and operation of north american energy infrastructure. we employ over 4200 employees with half of those in the united states. we operate the largest gas pipeline system in north america over 40,000 miles with the capability to transport 20% of the natural gas produced in north america every day. keystone will bring many benefits to the united states. i believe the most important role in will play is to bring energy security to the united states during what has beenunse. the debate comes down to a simple debate for americans. the they want secure, stable oil from friendly canada, or do they want to import conflict oil from unfriendly regions such as the middle east or venezuela? keystone xl pipeline will link canadian and u.s. crude supplies with the largest refining markets in the u.s. canadian oil reserves are vast, and 175 billion barrels, compared to u.s. reserves of 21 billion. people forget that while transporting oil from canada, keystone will also move domestic crude oil. we will move oil from montana and north dakota to the gulf coast. we expect to pick up 150,000 barrels of oil from cushing to the gulf coast. domestic oil production has been a goal of the united states, but production cannot grow if it cannot reach market. the fact that pipeline access is needed is apparent in the significant price discount u.s. mid continent producers have been receiving for their production. this project will create valuable jobs for americans. construction of the segment from cushing to the gulf coast would have created 4000 construction jobs next year in kansas, oklahoma, and texas. these are high-paying jobs. they are heavy equipment operators. construction of the northern segment through montana, south dakota, and nebraska would have created an additional 9000 construction jobs and 7000 manufacturing job