NEIL: ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, MY
FRIEND, VERY MUCH.
MARK MEREDITH.
LET’S GO TO SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS
WHO’S NOT REALLY TOO PLEASED
WITH THE EARLY SIGNALS HE’S SEEN
OUT OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
OF COURSE, THE SENATOR IS FROM
THE BEAUTIFUL STATE OF SOUTH
DAKOTA.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU, SENATOR.
THAT’S A LOT OF EXECUTIVE
ORDERS, ACTIONS, MEMORANDA.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
IT CLIPSES HIS THREE -- ECLIPSES
HIS THREE PREDECESSORS AT THIS
STAGE COMBINED.
>> NOT UNEXPECTED BUT MOST
CERTAINLY DISAPPOINTING.
SPECIFICALLY THE ONES WE’VE BEEN
FOLLOWING AND THE ONE IN
PARTICULAR THAT REALLY IMPACTS
MY STATE IS BASICALLY WHEN HE
KILLED THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
PROJECT.
THAT’S GOING TO PUT A WHOLE LOT
OF RAIL CARS WITH OIL ON ON THE
RAIL AND IT’S GOING TO IMPACT
DRAMATICALLY OUR STATE AND THE
SURROUNDING STATES.
IF NOT -- NOT A GOOD WAY TO
CONTINUE TO GROW THE ECONOMY.
IF YOU WANT TO GROW THE ECONOMY,
YOU ALLOW FOR INFRASTRUCTURE TO
BE DEVELOPED, PARTICULARLY THAT
SUPPORTED BY PRIVATE INDUSTRY
AND WHICH WILL GROW THE ECONOMY.
THIS IS A MULTI, MULTIBILLION
DOLLAR PROJECT THAT WOULD MAKE
IT MORE EFFICIENT TO MOVE OIL
WHICH WE’RE GOING TO BE USING
FOR DECADES TO COME.
AND, UNFORTUNATELY, HE HAS
IMMEDIATELY SHUT IT DOWN.
THOUSANDS OF JOBS, 10,000 JOBS
INVOLVED IN THIS.
OVER 3500 IN SOUTH DAKOTA, 2000
THAT ARE ALREADY ON THE JOB.
PRETTY DISAPPOINTING TO US IN
SOUTH DAKOTA.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT, TO YOUR POINT
AND I THINK YOU TOUCHED ON IT,
TC ENERGY, THE FIRST ENERGY
COMPANY TO SAY IF THIS IS SHUT
DOWN, A THOUSAND WORKERS ARE
SHUT OFF, MORE LIKELY WILL
FOLLOW.
WE’VE HEARD THAT CANADA’S
PREMIER NOT VERY HAPPY WITH
THIS, MAYBE THREATENING LEGAL
ACTION.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND OF LEGAL
ACTION HE CAN MUSTER, BUT WHERE
DOES THIS TAKE THAT PIPELINE?
I MEAN, THE CANADIANS CAN KEEP
IT UP THERE, ALL POINTS IN
CANADA, AND SHIP IT TO SOMEONE
ELSE, RIGHT?
>> THAT’S CORRECT.
IT’S GOING TO GO SOMEPLACE, IT’S
TOO VALUABLE NOT TO, AND WE
STILL NEED THE OIL.
IT’S EITHER GOING TO BE SHIPPED
TO OTHER COUNTRIES INCLUDING
CHINA WHICH HAS NOT THE SAME
TYPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATIONS THAT WE HAVE WHEN IT
COMES TO THE PROCESSING OF THAT
OIL, OR IT COULD COME BACK DOWN
INTO THE UNITED STATES TO THE
SPECIFIC LOCATIONS WHERE THEY
ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO PROCESS IT,
TO ACTUALLY DO THAT CRUDE OIL.
NOT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
REFINERIES USE THAT TYPE OF
CRUDE.
SO YOU’VE GOT TO GET IT TO THE
ONES THAT DO.
THIS WAS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY
TO DO IT.
IT’S STILL GOING TO GET MOVED,
BUT NOW THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING
TO HAVE TO PUT IT ON RAIL CARS,
AND IT’S NOT AS SAFE.
SO THIS WAS SIMPLY THE MOST
EFFICIENT WAY TO MOVE ABOUT
830,000 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL PER
DAY, AND THAT WILL PROBABLY GO
EITHER BY RAIL OR GO TO ANOTHER
COUNTRY.
AND IN ANY VENT, THIS PARTICULAR
COMPANY HAD ALREADY COMMITTED
THAT THEY WOULD MAKE IT CARBON
NEUTRAL IN THE TRANSPORTATION
PROCESS.
MEANING YOUR NOT GOING TO GET
THE SAME KIND OF COMMITMENT OUT
OF THE RAIL LINES, AND YOU’RE
MOST CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO GET
IT OUT OF BARGES OR FROM THE
COUNTRY OF CHINA.
NEIL: LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE AGENDA AND ROLLING
THINGS OUT.
I GUESS THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
WILL TECHNICALLY START ON
FEBRUARY 8TH.
DO YOU THINK BEFORE THAT TIME
ALL OF THE PRESIDENT’S KEY
NOMINEES CAN BE VOTED ON AS WELL
AS A VOTE ON THE $1.9 TRILLION
STIMULUS PLAN, PRESUMABLY BEFORE
THAT TRIAL WERE TO BEGIN?
>> PROBABLY PRETTY DIFFICULT.
I DO THINK THAT OUR FIRST
PRIORITY SHOULD BE ALLOWING THIS
PRESIDENT TO ESTABLISH HIS
CABINET, TO FORM HIS GOVERNMENT.
THAT’S GOOD FOR AMERICA.
WE MAY DISAGREE PHILOSOPHICALLY
ON THE DIRECTION THAT HE WANTS
TO MOVE THE COUNTRY, BUT HE
SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
FORM HIS GOVERNMENT.
PARTICULARLY IN THE AREAS OF
DEFENSE AND CONTINUITY OF
GOVERNMENT.
SO WE HAD VERY FEW OBJECTIONS TO
THE SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE AND TO THE OFFICE OF
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY.
THOSE ITEMS WE’VE ALREADY PASSED
THROUGH.
JANET YELLEN SHOULD NOT HAVE A
PROBLEM NEXT WEEK IN BEING
CONFIRMED, AND I DON’T THINK THE
SECRETARY OF STATE WILL HAVE A
PROBLEM BEING CONFIRMED.
BUT AFTER THAT NOW WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT THE DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE
THEY REALLY REACH IN AND DO
REGULATORY PROCESSES, SO YOU’RE
GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF
DISCUSSION ABOUT EPA, YOU’LL
HAVE COMMERCE, YOU’LL HAVE OTHER
AREAS WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY
WANT TO DO WITHIN THEIR
DEPARTMENTS, THE DEPARTMENT OF
INTERIOR, ANOTHER ONE.
THEY’LL ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
IT’LL TAKE TIME TO WORK THROUGH
THOSE NOT IN TERMS OF TRYING TO
DELAY IT, BUT ACTUALLY DOING THE
DUE DILIGENCE WHICH IS EXPECTED.
IT DOES TAKE TIME TO WORK
THROUGH THE SENATE.
WHEN YOU ADD IN THE FACT THAT
THE PRESIDENT HAS INDICATED THAT
HE’D LIKE TO DO ADDITIONAL
COVID-19 RELIEF, HE’S GOING TO
HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHY
HE’S NOT TARGETING IT, WHY HE
HAS GONE AS BROAD AS HE HAS.
WHY IS HE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE
IN THE MINIMUM WAGE AS A
PARTICIPANT OF THIS WHICH HE
KNOWS -- PART OF THIS WHICH HE
KNOWS WILL SLOW DOWN THE
PROCESS.
I THINK TARGETED RELIEF, IF IT’S
JUSTIFIED, AND EXPANDING OUT
OVER A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME
BECAUSE HE DOESN’T THINK WE’RE
GOING TO GET THE PANDEMIC UNDER
CONTROL, REASONABLE DISCUSSIONS
TO HAVE, AND I THINK HE’LL HAVE
REASONABLE RESPONSES FROM THE
UNITED STATES SENATE.
BUT I DON’T THINK HE’S GOING TO
BE SUCCESSFUL IN SAYING HERE’S
OUR PROGRAM, TAKE IT OR LEAVE
IT, COME ON IN AND, YOU KNOW,
WE’RE ELECTED NOW, AND YOU’VE
GOT TO KOWTOW THE LINE.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
AND THE FACT THAT HE PUT INTO
THE MIDDLE OF IT AN IMPEACHMENT,
THAT WILL -- SOME PEOPLE HAVE
SAID, WELL, CAN’T YOU DO BOTH?
THE ANSWER IS, NO, NOT WITHOUT
UNANIMOUS CONSENT FROM 100
SENATORS.
SO WHAT YOU’LL PROBABLY END UP
WITH, NEIL, IS ONCE YOU START
THE ACTUAL IMPEACHMENT TRIAL,
EVERYTHING ELSE SHUTS DOWN, AND
WE GO TO SIMPLY BEING JURORS
SITTING MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL HAS BEEN
COMPLETED AND A VERDICT HAS BEEN
RENDEREDDED.
THEN WE CAN GET BACK TO
SUBSTANTIVE WORK ON THE
PRESIDENT’S AGENDA AND ON
ACTUALLY RESPONDING SPECIFICALLY
TO THE TARGETED NEEDS IN
RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
AS YOU KNOW, SENATOR, SOME
DEMOCRATS HAVE ARGUED YOU CAN
CUT THE SCHEDULE, YOU KNOW,
ADDRESS SOME OF THESE OTHER
MATTERS EARLIER IN THE DAY, BUT
THAT DOES SEEM LIKE A HERCULEAN