Sample letter supporting the Findings in the U.S. Department of State Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

1.
September XX, 2011
The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary, U.S. Department of State
Keystone XL EIS Project
PO Box 96503‐98500
Washington, DC 20090‐6503
Re: Support for Keystone XL Pipeline – National Interest Determination
Dear Secretary Clinton:
We are writing to express our strong support for EIS findings on the Keystone XL pipeline and to urge
you to approve the project by granting the Presidential Permit needed for construction to begin. We
fully support this project because we believe it is in the best interest of our constituents and the entire
country.
Our communities are members of the Ports‐to‐Plains Alliance, a grassroots coalition of cities, counties,
businesses, economic development organizations and chambers of commerce from a ten‐state, 2,300
mile long transportation and economic development corridor that stretches from Texas to Alberta,
Canada.
Keystone XL will provide significant economic benefits for our region. The pipeline is expected to create
approximately 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs in the United States. It could also generate
more than $5.2 billion in tax revenue to the Keystone XL corridor states. At a time when state and local
governments across the country are struggling to balance their budgets, these employment and revenue
benefits are critical to our region.
The pipeline is also critical to our country’s efforts to reduce our dependence on Middle East and
Venezuelan oil, by increasing our access to supplies from Canada, our neighbor and loyal ally, as well as
domestic supplies from the Bakken Formation of Montana and North Dakota. Relying upon regimes that
are in many cases unstable and unfriendly to the United States is simply bad energy and national
security policy. We have seen the shocks to our economy from oil spikes caused by turmoil in these
regions. It is much preferable to develop stable, secure domestic and Canadian sources. By providing
refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast with more than 700,000 barrels of oil each day from domestic and
Canadian resources, this pipeline will dramatically reduce our reliance on oil from unreliable and often
unfriendly sources.
Limon Office Lubbock Office
P.O. Box 9 5401 N MLK Blvd., Unit 395
Limon, CO 80828 Lubbock, TX 79403
P: 303.586.1787 P: 806.775.2338
F: 719.775.9073 Fax: 806.775.3981
www.portstoplains.com

2. Support for Keystone XL Pipeline – National Interest Determination
September xx, 2011
Page 2
As leaders from the region that the Keystone XL pipeline will traverse, we applaud the Department of
State’s thoroughness during this approval process and appreciate the multiple opportunities for public
input on the project and its potential impact on the environment. The State Department has fully
analyzed the project’s environmental impact and that the Final EIS rightfully concludes that there are no
substantial environmental concerns that should prevent construction of this valuable energy
infrastructure project. We also have confidence that TransCanada will be a good steward of the land
and that Keystone XL will be constructed using industry best practices and will meet or exceed all
existing pipeline regulatory standards.
The Keystone XL pipeline is clearly in the nation’s interest and will be a valuable tool in strengthening
our national security and energy security. Therefore, we respectfully request that upon completion of
this review period, the Department of States move expeditiously to approve the pipeline and grant
TransCanada the Presidential Permit it needs to proceed.
Sincerely,
Limon Office Lubbock Office
P.O. Box 9 5401 N MLK Blvd., Unit 395
Limon, CO 80828 Lubbock, TX 79403
P: 303.586.1787 P: 806.775.2338
F: 719.775.9073 Fax: 806.775.3981
www.portstoplains.com