WASHINGTON — State Sen. Chris Langemeier of Nebraska scored an invitation to Tuesday night's State of the Union address as the guest of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who praised Langemeier for his work on the Keystone XL pipeline issue.
"Senator Langemeier is a strong supporter of the Keystone XL pipeline and was the author of compromise legislation that paved the way for a new pipeline route in the state," read a statement from Boehner's office.
Langemeier and three others invited by Boehner watched President Barack Obama's speech from the House gallery. Boehner described the group as "local leaders and job creators hurt by the president's decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline."
Boehner's other guests: Ray Brooks, refining division manager at Marathon Petroleum Co. in Robinson, Ill.; Jay Churchill, manager of Conoco Phillips' Wood River Refinery in Roxana, Ill.; and Dale Delie, president of Welspun Tubular LLC, a subsidiary of Welspun Corp. Ltd. in Little Rock, Ark.
Welspun is the second-largest diameter pipe producer in the world, and the company has laid off workers in the wake of the Keystone decision, Boehner's office said.
Boehner said the pipeline's rejection hurts the economy.
"The president owes America's workers an explanation, and I hope he will provide one tonight with these leaders and job creators on hand," Boehner said before the president's speech.
Obama did not mention the pipeline during his address.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels cited the Keystone XL in delivering the GOP response to the speech.
"The extremism that stifles the development of homegrown energy, or cancels a perfectly safe pipeline that would employ tens of thousands, or jacks up consumer utility bills for no improvement in either human health or world temperature, is a pro-poverty policy," Daniels said.
The pipeline drew strong environmental opposition in Nebraska. Its developer, TransCanada, agreed to reroute the pipeline away from the state's Ogallala Aquifer.
Environmental groups staged a demonstration Tuesday on Capitol Hill, wearing referee outfits and "blowing the whistle" on what they characterized as the oil and gas industry's undue influence over Congress.
Opponents of the pipeline say the project would actually create few jobs, increase greenhouse gas emissions and possibly lead to environmentally disastrous spills.
The protest was aimed at highlighting the money that oil and gas companies pour into lawmakers' campaign coffers.
Boehner pledged to continue Republican efforts to push the pipeline through.
Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., a leading pipeline proponent on Capitol Hill, has proposed legislation that would hand over the decision on the Keystone XL to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and essentially mandate the project's approval. That bill is scheduled to receive a hearing Wednesday and a "markup" by a committee next week.
Terry told The World-Herald that his legislation could be worked into a new payroll tax cut extension measure or a highway infrastructure bill.
Contact the writer:
202-630-4823, joe.morton@owh.com
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