Representative’s viewpoints
Wyoming Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso speak out
January 19, 2012
President missed the mark, XL Pipeline means more energy, jobs
Doing more business with friends, less with those who dislike us is in our national interest
By Senator Mike Enzi
Washington, D.C. – Creating jobs and getting energy from our friends should have been an easy decision, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who has long supported the Keystone XL Pipeline. Enzi sees it as a way to put people back to work and to help end our dependence on foreign oil. Enzi issued the following statement after learning that the President would reject the pipeline permit:
"I don’t know how the president determined that creating jobs and moving toward energy independence are not in our national interest. In Wyoming, the energy industry has created high-paying jobs that thousands of people rely on. Putting more than 20,000 people to work across the country is a good thing. Canada is ready to help us lessen our reliance on places like the Middle East and Venezuela for our energy needs. Flipping the XL switch to ‘on’ should have been a no brainer."
The Keystone XL project has been under environmental review by the State Department for over three years. On December 23, 2011, President Obama signed into law a bill to, among other things, extend the payroll tax reduction until the end of February 2012. Part of the bill required that the President decide within 60 days whether or not to grant the permit to allow TransCanada to build the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Senator Enzi cosponsored the legislation that was eventually included in the payroll tax bill. The only way the necessary permit would be denied is if it was shown that the pipeline was not in the national interest. Both the House and the Senate have passed different bills supporting the project.
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Barrasso on 1 Year Anniversary of Obama Promise to Cut Red Tape
Instead of cutting waste, he’s delivered whiplash
By Senator John Barrasso
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement regarding the one year anniversary of President Obama’s Executive Order (13563) to cut red tape:
"Exactly one year ago today, President Obama promised to cut Washington's red tape and shrink the government.
"His lack of leadership on this issue is now obvious. Instead of cutting waste, he's delivered whiplash.
"For the past 365 days, the Obama Administration has put hundreds of new rules on the books and increased the federal register by thousands of pages. More red tape makes it harder and harder for our job creators to help Americans find good jobs.
"It's time for the President to get serious about cutting out of touch regulations and helping America's small business owners create jobs."
Background:
On January 18, 2011, President Obama signed an Executive Order that:
"requires Federal agencies to design cost-effective, evidence-based regulations that are compatible with economic growth, job creation, and competitiveness."
Over the last 365 days, the President has:
• Issued a record 82,000 pages in the Federal Register
• Imposed regulatory compliance costs of over $228 billion
• Put forward over 800 rules deemed significant under Executive Order 12866 (substantially affecting the economy, the budget, or policy)
• Repealed only one economically significant rule (cost of $100 million or more)
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