56 Senators Try to Force Keystone XL Pipeline Past President Obama and the Public

to read the article published on May 5, 2014, click on

http://ecowatch.com/2014/05/05/56-senators-keystone-pipeline/

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., appeared on Fox News to announce that he believed pipeline proponents had enough Senate votes to give TransCanada the green light and that a vote would happen soon. Despite charges of unfair land contracts and research indicating that the pipeline would significant exacerbate our climate, Manchin says the issue is ensuring the country’s energy security.
A Senate vote on Keystone XL is expected this week. Photo credit: League of Women Voters of California/Flickr Creative CommonsA Senate vote on Keystone XL is expected this week. Photo credit: League of Women Voters of California/Flickr Creative Commons

The senator argued that the pipeline was a more environmentally friendly means of transporting oil to refineries. There’s no doubt that a measure would pass in the Republican House of Representatives. Last year, a non-binding resolution to support the pipeline passed by a 62-37 count in the Senate.

Environmental groups weren’t pleased with the news, but are confident that the Administration will say no to dirty tar sands oil when all is said and done.

“We see this as a purely political move,” Jane Kleeb, director of Bold Nebraska, said in a call with reporters, according to the Huffington Post. “We think the president will be true to his word that he wants to see the process play out.”