Cravaack: Keystone Pipeline good for workers, Minnesota & America

U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack (MN-8) released the following statement following the bipartisan House vote on the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011, which would protect all workers from a tax increase in January, extend unemployment benefits to millions during the worst recession in recent history, and approve the Keystone XL Pipeline project to put tens of thousands of Americans to work immediately:

"This bill is good for workers, Minnesota, and America. This is yet another common sense, bipartisan House initiative that puts more money in working Americans' pockets and gets government off their backs. I call on Senator Harry Reid, whose one man filibuster has single-handedly blocked 27 House jobs bills from being considered in the Senate, to act on this measure immediately in the best interest of the American People," said Rep. Cravaack.

The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 extends the payroll tax holiday without raiding the Social Security trust fund by freezing pay for government workers, including members of Congress, reforming programs that are riddled with waste, and reducing subsidies for the wealthy. 90 percent of these savings have also been proposed by President Obama.

The bill also approves the Keystone XL Pipeline and halts the EPA's job-killing boiler MACT regulation, which hurts Minnesota schools and the economy by imposing excessive control and monitoring standards for 11 subcategories of boilers and process heaters.

"The Keystone XL Pipeline project is poised to create 20,000 jobs and would provide a critical boost to the construction industry in Minnesota and the Midwest," said Glen Johnson, Business Manager of Operating Engineers Local 49. "We applaud Rep. Cravaack's effort to move the project forward and create work opportunities for heavy equipment operators and other skilled tradespeople."

Operating Engineers Local 49 represents 12,000 men and women in Minnesota, North and South Dakota with contracts for highway/heavy and building contractors, well drillers, equipment repair shops, welding shops, sand and gravel suppliers, counties, municipalities, hospitals, school districts, cemeteries, and more.

Recognizing that unemployment services should focus on helping Americans get back to work, the bill uses a two-step process to gradually reduce current maximum weeks of benefits and requires that recipients are actively seeking employment or utilizing job training or education program.

Rep. Cravaack serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee -- where he is Vice Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee -- the Homeland Security Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. The 8th Congressional District covers 18 counties in Northeast Minnesota.

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[FSFchannel]

@falcondriver100 Doesn't mean he wants to destroy the country. The military hasn't been cut to "the bone". The majority of the generals agree with the cuts and helped form them. He hasn't ended all "future military programs" , he hasn't "destroyed the healthcare system). We don't have a single payer o public option. He didn't get all the debt, Gov. Bush accumulated quite a bit of the deficit and the structural problems. If you would provide an example of the last point you made

[falcondriver100]

@FSFchannel Awful thing? How the HELL can you think otherwise? He's done NOTHING to get our economy going or to get jobs going. He ended our space program, increased welfare roles, cut our military to the bone, ended all future military programs, destroyed our healthcare system, got us into more debt than all other Presidents COMBINED got us into(that we will NEVER get out of) and he badmouths America abroad everytime he leaves the Country! How stupid & blind can you be?

[FSFchannel]

@falcondriver100 you are a disgusting to say such an awful thing. You can hate him all you want but you are an asshole for spreading this fallacy that somehow he wants to destroy america.

[falcondriver100]

Good for workers is bad for Obama. He wants to destroy America & will do anything he can to do it.

[Norse29]

If we don't build the pipeline, those jobs will go to China? How so? And yeah, there will be thousands of jobs created, but the pipe line company even said there would only be around 100 permanent ones. Finally, regulatory just want to stifle job creation? These agencies are actually trying to protect people and the earth from people like you who know nothing about science. You see an opportunity for good job creation, ok. But, do not see what harm can occur from projects like this.