WASHINGTON, D.C. —(ENEWSPF)—November 14, 2014. This Friday the House passed H.R. 5682 by a vote of 252-161 to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. This sets up the tenth attempt by the House to bypass presidential authority and force a decision on the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who faces Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) in a December 6 runoff election. Sen. Landrieu is sponsoring a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline in the Senate, which is expected to go to the floor Tuesday, November 18.
This morning, Friends of the Earth along with 21 other groups sent a letter to Representatives urging them to oppose H.R. 5682.
Friend of the Earth’s Climate and energy associate Luísa Abbott Galvão issued the following statement on the decision:
Today, House leadership got ready to repay the Koch brothers and other oil profiteers for the millions they invested in the midterm elections. To show their allegiance, the House seems more than willing to run roughshod over due process for land rights in Nebraska and permitting in South Dakota. The vote supported a destructive project with no redeeming value for anyone other than TransCanada.
Yet even after the vote, the decision over the Keystone XL pipeline remains with President Obama. The movement that has built-in opposition to the pipeline remains dedicated to ensuring that it never becomes a reality.
Source: www.foe.org
