TO THE HONORABLE BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE HONORABLE JAY INSLEE, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, The United States relies, and will continue to rely for many years, on gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel despite the recent focus on renewable and alternative sources of energy; 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 is the largest consumer of petroleum in the world; United States dependence on overseas oil has created difficult 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 with 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 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 and has the capacity to significantly increase that rate; and

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

WHEREAS, Construction of the project will create 20,000 jobs nationwide, including construction and manufacturing jobs, create 20 billion dollars in economic growth, and generate 3 billion dollars of government receipts; and

WHEREAS, A recent study by the United States Department of Energy found that increasing delivery of crude oil from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Alberta, Canada, as well as Texas and Oklahoma, to American refineries has the potential to substantially reduce our country's dependency on sources outside of North America; and

WHEREAS, Canada sends more than ninety-nine percent 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; and the expansion and upgrade projects will create many new construction jobs over the next five years; and

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

WHEREAS, The Keystone XL pipeline is critical to jobs and energy independence for the citizens of Washington as well as all other states, and it is therefore fitting and proper that the legislature call upon the federal government to immediately address this issue;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectively pray that the United States Congress and the Administration support continued and increased development and delivery of oil from Canada to the United States, and that the President of the United States approve the Keystone XL pipeline project that has been awaiting a presidential permit since 2008 to ensure America's oil independence, improve our national security, reduce the cost of gasoline, create new jobs, and strengthen ties between the United States and Canada.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States, the Honorable Jay Inslee, Governor of the State of Washington, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

--- END ---