David Hauptmann:
This evening, the Senate will have its first critical vote on advancing the bill authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline. Sixty votes will be needed for the Senate to eventually approve the bill and send it to President Obama.
Six Democrats are cosponsors of the legislation: Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Mark Warner (D-VA). If all of these cosponsors vote for this bill, it can pass and be sent to the president. Of course, even more should vote for it, since it is a common sense bill that creates jobs and builds North American energy infrastructure.
Many of these same Democrats haven’t been shy in the past with their support for this pipeline. Earlier this month, Sen. Manchin said, “We have everything to gain by building this pipeline, especially since it would help create thousands of jobs right here at home and limit our dependence on foreign oil. Every state – including West Virginia – would benefit economically from this activity. It is my sincere hope that we can once and for all move forward with this important project.” Sen. Tester called it “a win-win for Montana’s economy and our energy security” and Sen. Heitkamp said “it’s time for the State Department and President to make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline.” Sen. McCaskill declared, “To me, this has always been common sense to be for the pipeline.”
If these Democrats all support the pipeline, as they have in the past, the president will finally be forced to make a decision on it. Will he back a job-creating shovel-ready infrastructure project that promotes energy development like he frequently says he wants to approve? Or will he listen to the far left and rich environmentalist donors like Tom Steyer?
President Obama’s actions over the weekend don’t inspire a lot of confidence. Yet again, he’s done an end-run around Congress and unilaterally imposed more limits on drilling and energy production in Alaska. The Wall Street Journal reports, “The Obama administration is moving this week to designate areas of Alaska off limits to oil and natural gas drilling in its latest effort to bolster its environmental legacy. The Interior Department announced on Sunday that it was proposing to preserve as wilderness nearly 13 million acres of land in the 19.8 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, including 1.5 million acres of coastal plains that is believed to have rich oil and natural gas resources. Later this week, the department also is slated to propose a draft offshore leasing plan that is expected to include more limits on future oil and gas production in Alaska. . . . While setting aside lands as wilderness requires congressional approval—something this administration is unlikely to get with both chambers controlled by Republicans—the proposed move puts the area into a state of de facto designation as wilderness and would prevent drilling, an Interior Department spokeswoman said.”
The Washington Post notes, “The move marks the latest instance of Obama’s aggressive use of executive authority to advance his top policy priorities. While only Congress can create a wilderness area, once the federal government identifies a place for that designation, it receives the highest level of protection until Congress acts or a future administration adopts a different approach.
“It also reflects the influence of White House senior counselor John Podesta, who is stepping down next month to help launch Hillary Rodham Clinton’s expected presidential bid. Podesta, who helped oversee several of President Bill Clinton’s major public lands initiatives while serving as his chief of staff, has elevated conservation issues to the top of the White House agenda since joining Obama’s staff a year ago. . . .
‘What’s coming is a stunning attack on our sovereignty and our ability to develop a strong economy that allows us, our children and our grandchildren to thrive,’ Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the new chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement. ‘It’s clear this administration does not care about us, and sees us as nothing but a territory. . . . I cannot understand why this administration is willing to negotiate with Iran, but not Alaska. But we will not be run over like this. We will fight back with every resource at our disposal.’”
Just a week ago, President Obama, was boasting in his State of the Union address about increased energy production in the United States. Yet that development is in spite of years of actions like this one. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace reminded White House Chief of Staff John McDonough of this fact. McDonough declared, “More oil and gas produced in this country than ever before.” Wallace admonished, “Again, no thanks to this administration.”
@retire05: Please let RJW alone. He is conversing with Tinker Bell right now in Fantasy Land!
@Ronald J. Ward:
You play stupid, Ronald, but you do it really, really well.
This administration, dear stupid, lying Ronald. The administration. They lie and they coordinate their lies. The only time when they emote differing and confusing messages is when they are speaking the facts as they see them
And, dear pliable, useful-idiot Ronald, lies accumulate; the last lie told does not negate the one before it. We actually have electronic recordings of the lies, so lying to deny the lies is hardly effective. Why don’t you go over to Media Matters and ply that crap; they’ll love it.
@Bill: To be honest, I have no idea about this video tape accusation. Perhaps you can elaborate a bit. Maybe not.
The fact that you didn’t or couldn’t or wouldn’t catch my laid out and explicit explanation of your accusation that The State Dept are “the same people telling that Taliban are not terrorists, you could keep your insurance, you could keep your doctor, save $2500 a year on your health insurance, Benghazi was about a video, Michael Brown was shot due to police racism, $860 billion would stimulate the economy” are indeed (I’ll give you a pass on this video thing pending you explaining what the hell you’re talking about) is a likely explanation as to why you never caught the answers to your other questions.
@retire05:
I hit reply to the wrong comment. Quite possibly the same commenter but obviously the wrong comment.
I never made a claim on how many it will take to build KXL however my understanding is around 2K temporaries to build it and another 40K support for around 12-24 months and then will take about 50 to maintain it afterwards
Again, I really haven’t done any research on this vediogate but I’m sure it will come up loud and clear after a few dozen or so more GOP witch hunt hearings that keep coming up empty handed.
@Ronald J. Ward:
You, sir, are now a confirmed liar.
I never said that was the State Department. It is the entire corrupt administration of Obama, the Liar. No wonder you adore him so… you aspire to be a great a liar as he.
@Ronald J. Ward:
So it took almost 30,000 construction workers (you know, those who “build it”) to build the 800 miles of the Alaskan pipe line but now the Keystone Pipeline can be build with “2K temporaries” (news flash; all construction jobs are “temporary”)? And what would the 40K for support be for? What support? Why would it need support after it was built?
But wait; you originally said 30-35. Now you’ve added more to reach the number of 50? Why don’t you just admit you don’t know jack about pipeline construction, maintenance or monitoring and be done with it? We’re used to you blowing smoke out your arse.
@Bill:
Well, yeah ya did. I presented an argument of only 50 full time jobs by the State Dept . Your rebuttal was that these same (the State Department) gave us those “lies” and such. Are you so so incredibly stupid that you don’t even know what you wrote. Are you so profoundly dishonest that you deny what’s in black and white right before our eyes? Seems like we’ve seen this before, haven’t we Retire05? Seems like a consistent pattern. Nothing new of coarse. And assuming your talking the Obama Admin, when did they come out with that 50 job number? They didn’t. So again, you are simply making up silly shit to childishly cover up the previous silly shit that you made up. It seems that you can’t even keep track of your own lies when they’re right there in text for your review.
As far as me being a “confirmed liar” by not knowing about this video thing, how precisely is it confirmed and why are you so afraid to confirm what you’re talking about? Again, you make no sense.
@retire05:
I was being generous with 50 jobs. If you want some win or such for a justification to steal farmer’s property for the sole purpose of lining the pockets of foreign investors over another 10 or 20 or hell, even 100 full time jobs, you still come up short.
@Ronald J. Ward:
God forbid that Canada should profit from our purchase of their oil. No, no, it is much better we buy oil from the Middle East and that way, they can continue to support radical Islam.
@retire05:
Tell that to the people of Boston.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig
See, if liberals run the project, with all the accompanying incompetence, graft and corruption, a construction job COULD be a permanent job.
@Ronald J. Ward: Well, no, I didn’t. It is not exactly astounding that the same mind that thought the first four years of Obama lies, corruption and failure deserved a follow-up four years to finish the wreckage of the economy, domestic peace and foreign policy would jump to the conclusion that I say only the things YOU think I say, but no, I never said, implied or thought that the State Department is the sole supplier of lies from this administration. They are but a lie subsidiary with all the other departments, agencies and divisions of this administration doing their fair share to thoroughly and exclusively lie to the American people to cover their agenda and failures.
“The bogus Benghazi scandal is a product of the abject fear of the GOP who have brought blatant dishonesty to an entirely new level. It’s simply a twofer that goes after the Hillary campaign and the President at the same time, utilizing the spin machine of Fox News and the Karl Rove’s super pacs.”
Does that comment sound familiar? That was YOU from the post ““My son is dead. How could that be phony?”, July 26, 2013. The discussion, of course, was how the Benghazi disaster was scandalous and the administration (including the State Department, so you are left with no wiggle room to evade your lies) claiming a video incited a spontaneous riot which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including an Ambassador.
Ooops. Feel some intense heat from around back? That would be your pants aflame. Liar.