While tonight's vote may seal the fate of Mary Landrieu (D-La.)in her upcoming run off election, the at least temporary defeat of the Keystone Pipeline is a win for the American people despite the PR efforts of the Koch brothers and other fossil fuel industry hacks and their political prostitutes. The tar sands from which hydrocarbons to be transported by the Keystone Pipeline are produced are among the most environmentally damaging. Yes, Canada and foul individuals like the Kochs would benefit from the pipeline, but if one cares anything about air pollution not to mention the dangers of pipelines in general, this is NOT something sane Americans should want. And I say this as a former in-house attorney for an large oil company with knowledge of the oil and gas industry. I would further add that America needs to reduce its dependence on oil and gas, not increase it. Here are highlights from the Washington Post on tonight's vote:
In a dramatic vote, the Senate rejected a controversial new energy pipeline Tuesday evening, dealing a serious blow to the re-election prospects of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and leaving Republicans itching for a fight next year on the issue.
On a 59 to 41 vote, Landrieu lost her bid to pass legislation meant to compel the Obama White House to approve the nearly 1,700-mile, $7.6 billion Keystone XL pipeline, which if built would deliver 830,000 barrels of oil a day from western Canada into the American heartland.
Already six years in the making, the Keystone fight has become the rallying cry for Landrieu, a three-term senator facing a run-off election Dec. 6. For the past week she has placed a political bet on her ability to pass the legislation as a demonstration of her clout in the Senate.
Supporters said the new pipeline would lead to a more efficient delivery of oil into the domestic markets, helping boost the national economy by creating tens of thousands of jobs along the construction of the pipeline. Opponents said that the project would be harvesting oil from the environmentally dirty tar sands in Canada, leading to too many health risks and coming at a time when other domestic oil production has already shrunk gas prices to less than $3 a gallon in many regions.
A man identified as Greg Graycloud, with the Lakota Tribe in South Dakota, began chanting loudly after the vote ended. He was removed from the Senate Chamber by U.S. Capitol Police officers. Four other people opposed to the pipeline were also removed for speaking out.
Before Tuesday night’s vote, the White House was careful not to issue a veto threat even as officials made it clear Obama was likely to invoke one should the measure pass the Senate.
“It certainly is a piece of legislation that the president doesn’t support, because the president believes that this is something that should be determined through the State Department – a process that is in place to evaluate projects like this,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest, adding that Obama’s senior advisers have recommended a veto on “similar pieces of legislation” that have been introduced in the past.
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