WASHINGTON, June 18 – Over staunch opposition by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 12-10 for the construction of the Keystone Pipeline which would transport oil from the tar sands region in Alberta, Canada, to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.
Sanders said extracting and refining “the dirtiest oil imaginable” would spew more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and worsen global warming.
Completing the Keystone XL pipeline, he added, would send a signal that the United States is unwilling to lead the way toward reversing global warming.
“The scientific community has overwhelmingly concluded that global warming is occurring, that it is caused by human activity and that it is already causing devastating problems in terms of drought, wild fires, flooding and extreme weather disturbances,” Sanders said in a prepared statement.
“The scientists tell us that there is a narrow opportunity in the near future to substantially reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and transform our energy systems away from fossil fuels and into renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, geo-thermal and bio-mass,” the senator added.
“If we do not move in that direction, the habitability of the planet that we leave to our children and grand-children is much in doubt.” Sanders said.
The pipeline project, which would cross the international border dividing Canada and the United States, remains under review by the State Department and the White House.
Contact: Michael Briggs (202) 224-5141
Kops
Senators who voted for this should allow the pipeline to cross their property.
It’s more like oil sludge than oil that will be traveling through this pipeline.
There are better ways to spend out money.
If we do build it, I hope they hire a police force to protect it. I want us to at least get some Keystone Kops out of this deal.