Emails, Drew Brandewie, press secretary, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Jan. 21 and 23, 2015
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 3:34 PM
To: Brandewie, Drew (Cornyn)
Subject: Query for a fact check
Drew:
Good afternoon.
A reader pointed out Sen. Cornyn recently saying the Texas leg of the Keystone project “has already created 4,800 jobs in just the year it's been up and running.” Can you provide the basis of this 4,800 figure?
Thanks.
g.
W. Gardner Selby
Reporter / News
Austin American-Statesman
PolitiFact Texas
3:03 p.m.
Jan. 21, 2015
Source is Transcanada (below), has been widely reported:
AP: “Construction began in August 2012 and involved more than 11 million hours of labor by 4,844 workers in the U.S.” http://newsok.com/pipeline-to-gulf-coast-to-crank-up-jan.-22/article/feed/633272
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “Officials have long touted the pipeline’s economic impact. Howard said the southern leg created 4,844 jobs; the southern and northern leg together should bring about 20,000.” http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article3851651.html#storylink=cpy
The Hill: “Touting what he said was the thousands of jobs the southern leg provided to the U.S., Girling said Keystone XL’s northern leg would create twice as many. Roughly 4,844 workers in the U.S. helped construct the southern leg.” http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/196133-transcanada-calls-keystone-xl-safest-pipeline-to-date
Beaumont Business Journal: “Construction of the 487-mile crude oil pipeline involved more than 11 million hours of labor, completed by 4,844 workers from across the United States on more than 50 contracts with manufacturers, equipment suppliers and companies building the pipeline.” http://beaumontbusinessjournal.com/article/oil-gas-wrap/gulf-coast-pipeline-complete
______
TransCanada: Construction of the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project required:
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 4:10 PM
To: Brandewie, Drew (Cornyn)
Subject: RE: Query for a fact check
If construction is over, how many jobs remain?
wgs
W. Gardner Selby
Editor
PolitiFact Texas
Austin American-Statesman
3:12 p.m.
You should ask Transcanada.
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2015 10:59 AM
To: Brandewie, Drew (Cornyn)
Subject: Following up for fact check
Drew:
I am still collecting information from TransCanada and elsewhere. Right now, it appears the figure Cornyn used to refer to jobs "in just the year it's been up and running" refers to construction jobs that came and went before the pipeline was up and running. Make sense?
…
12:52 p.m.
Jan. 23, 2015
Please attribute the following to Megan Mitchell, Communications Director: "Our office was correct in noting that 4,800 jobs were created as a result of the Gulf Coast leg of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Unfortunately, we erred in the timeframe."