1 U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE 1 2 KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE OIL PROJECT 3 4 5 PUBLIC COMMENTS 6 September 29, 2011 7 8 Best Western
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1 1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2 3 KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE OIL PROJECT 4 5 6 PUBLIC COMMENTS 7 September 29, 2011 8 9 Best Western Ramkota 10 11 920 West Sioux Avenue 12 Pierre, South Dakota 13 57502 14 12:00 p.m. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Reported by: 22 CHARLES D. HOFFMAN 23 2 1 APPEARANCES 2 3 JAMES STEELE, U.S. Department of State, presiding officer. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 3 1 PROCEEDINGS 2 (12:00 P.M.) 3 MR. STEELE: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd 4 like to go ahead and get the meeting started. We 5 have a goodly number that would like to make 6 comments. So let's go ahead and get started, so 7 that we can make the best use of our time. 8 Hello, good afternoon, my name is Jim Steele. 9 I am from the U.S. Department of State, the United 10 States Department of State. On behalf of the 11 Department of State, we would like to thank you for 12 joining us here in Pierre, South Dakota at this 13 public meeting on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. 14 We recognize that this is an important issue, and we 15 value your input. 16 The purpose of this meeting is for members of 17 the public to express their views on whether issuing 18 a presidential permit for the proposed Keystone XL 19 Pipeline is in the national interest. To focus time 20 and attention on your comments, we will not be 21 answering questions at this or at any of the other 22 public meetings that are taking place this week in 23 4 1 Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana and in 2 Washington D.C. next month. 3 We appreciate the interest of every single 4 individual in this room to take the time to share 5 your perspectives on this issue. We take your 6 comments seriously and will consider them carefully. 7 We understand that there are strong views and 8 feelings about this issue. This is an opportunity 9 for you to express those views. But we ask that you 10 respect the rules that we have established, so that 11 we can hear from as many people as possible today. 12 We ask that you be fair and respectful to everyone 13 who has taken the time to come here. 14 Before we begin, I would like to describe the 15 Department of State's role in the presidential 16 permitting process and to lay out the ground rules 17 for participating in today's meeting. 18 In September of 2008, TransCanada Keystone 19 Pipeline LP filed an application for a presidential 20 permit for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. 21 Executive Order 13337 signed on April 30th, 2004, 22 delegates to the Department of State the authority 23 5 1 to issue a presidential permit for facilities, such 2 as Keystone XL Pipeline, that cross the United 3 States' border. 4 In considering a permit, the Department of 5 State determines whether allowing the border 6 crossing is in the United States' national interest, 7 taking into account environmental and safety issues 8 as well as energy security, foreign policy and 9 social and economic concerns. 10 In addition to the executive order, the 11 department determined, because of the importance of 12 this proposed pipeline, that it should evaluate the 13 pipeline's possible environmental and safety 14 impacts, consistent with the National Environmental 15 Policy Act, or NEPA. As a consequence, the State 16 Department prepared an environmental impact 17 statement, consistent with NEPA, to evaluate the 18 proposed pipeline's potential environmental and 19 safety impacts. 20 In preparing that environmental impact 21 statement over the last 2 1/2 years, we have 22 conducted 41 public meetings along the pipeline 23 6 1 route and in Washington D.C. in order to gather 2 public comments in developing the scope and the 3 draft of the environmental impact statement. 4 On August 26th, we released the final 5 environmental impact statement, which addresses the 6 more than 250,000 comments from the public that we 7 received during the public comment period. The 8 final environmental impact statement is just one 9 factor considered in the review process. The final 10 environmental impact statement does not represent a 11 final decision on the permit application. 12 Now, as we move toward the national interest 13 determination, the Department of State is compiling 14 additional information to determine if the proposed 15 Keystone XL Pipeline is in the national interest and 16 to decide whether to grant or deny the permit. 17 The ground rules for the meeting today. In 18 order to maximize public participation and to be 19 fair to the participants, we ask that you abide by 20 these rules of order. We hope to have the 21 opportunity to listen to everyone that wishes to 22 speak. But in order to allow the maximum amount of 23 7 1 participation, we ask you to limit your comments to 2 three minutes. Given the interest in this issue, it 3 may not be possible for everyone in attendance here 4 today to speak. If you do not have the opportunity 5 to speak, you can still provide your written 6 comments on the back of the information sheet that 7 was handed to you when you came into the building 8 today. You can write your comments on that sheet 9 and leave them either at the table in the back or 10 the table up in front, preferably at the table in 11 the back. You can also mail your comments in. You 12 can fax them in. You can e-mail them or you can 13 submit your comments online. We will consider all 14 comments that are received, but we ask that you 15 submit those comments by October 9th. 16 Speakers will make their comments today on a 17 fist come, first served basis, by assigned number, 18 having signed in personally at the door outside. 19 After one speaker ends, the next number and name 20 will be called, and to speed things up, I'll 21 probably wind up calling four speakers at a time, so 22 that you have time to prepare yourself to come on 23 8 1 up. 2 Since we can not anticipate exactly how long a 3 person will speak, we can't really tell you exactly 4 when you will be up to speak. When your number is 5 called, we ask that you come to the microphone, 6 state your name, affiliation, and offer your 7 comments. And please note that there are two sets 8 of microphones. 9 As you speak in time in that three minute 10 interval, a card will be displayed when you have one 11 minute remaining and when your time is up. That 12 card says thank you; we appreciate your comments, 13 but it's time to finish up so somebody else can have 14 a chance. 15 If you run out of time, again, you can submit 16 your comments in written form. And I assure you 17 that they will be considered. They will have the 18 same weight as if you had delivered them orally. 19 Again, the handout specifies the procedures you 20 can take to e-mail, fax or mail your comments in. 21 All oral comments and written comments will be 22 considered as part of our decision. They will be 23 9 1 reviewed by the Department of State and during the 2 decision making process. Your oral comments here 3 today will be recorded and then transcribed by a 4 court reporter. Other written comments will be 5 accepted, again, until October 9th. 6 Department of State officials are here to 7 listen to your comments, so that they can be 8 considered. We will not be in a question and answer 9 session today. Again, we understand that there are 10 strong views on this issue, and we ask that in 11 fairness to everyone concerned, those who choose to 12 speak be allowed to do so without interruption. We 13 request that no signs, no displays be posted in the 14 building. 15 As we mentioned earlier, please do keep your 16 remarks to no more than three minutes, and please be 17 respectful of others. I ask also that you turn off 18 cell phones or set them to the silent setting. We 19 plan on ending this meeting at 8:00 o'clock this 20 evening. We will break for 30 minutes at about 3:30 21 and resume at about 4:00 o'clock. 22 I would like to stress, once again, that the 23 10 1 Department of State has not yet made a decision on 2 this matter. That is the purpose of this meeting, 3 to give members of the public the opportunity to 4 make comments that will be considered when we are 5 deciding whether to issue or to grant or whether to 6 deny that application for the presidential permit. 7 Thank you very much for your interest, and 8 thank you very much for coming to this meeting. 9 Before I start with the speakers, I would like to 10 call please Mr. Nathan Sanderson, the policy advisor 11 to Governor Daugaard, who will deliver a short 12 statement on behalf of the governor.