Reid: Democrats will kill Keystone amendment

[UltimateHoboW/Shotgun]

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-...tone-amendment

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that Democrats have the votes to defeat a GOP-backed measure to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

"The answer is yes," Reid said when asked if Democrats would kill the measure.

"Everyone should just calm down on Keystone,” Reid added. “Just take a deep breath, folks.”


Reid’s comments came just hours before the Senate is expected to vote on an amendment to transportation legislation that would force approval of the pipeline. The amendment requires 60 votes for passage.

The majority leader stressed that President Obama opposes the GOP amendment, but does not oppose the pipeline itself.

“So the president has not come out saying, 'I oppose Keystone,' ” Reid said. “He opposes doing it in the manner that's been jammed down our throats.”

Republicans pounced Thursday on a report that Obama personally pressed Senate Democrats to reject the Keystone amendment. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Obama is “lobbying against American jobs,” arguing that approval of the pipeline will boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.



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More from The Hill:
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♦ Pelosi: Keystone might be 'worthy' but won't cut gas prices
♦ Boehner: Obama 'lobbying against American jobs' on Keystone
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♦ Limbaugh denies he’s losing money after ‘slut’ remark
♦ Second House panel clears bill to repeal Medicare cost board
♦ Top general: Syrian uprising could accelerate al Qaeda’s revival
♦ Dems push bill to ban military detention for US citizens
♦ Armed Forces chairman: Drop Limbaugh from military radio


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"The president believes that it is wrong to play politics with a pipeline project whose route has yet to be proposed," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Thursday when asked about Obama's phone calls, noting that an alternative route through an ecologically sensitive area of Nebraska has not yet been determined.

"Despite claims that this pipeline would somehow solve the pain at the pump today, the company has said it would take years before a single drop of oil would flow through the pipeline."

Carney stressed that Obama's January decision to reject a key permit for the Keystone pipeline was not based on the merits, but instead on a GOP-backed, 60-day deadline included in a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut.

"The president obviously has communications with members of Congress with some regularity,” Carney said, calling GOP efforts to approve the pipeline “purely ideological and political.”

“We have made these points very clear. We will continue to make these points very clear and we certainly expect that Congress will, at least we hope, act in an appropriate fashion.”


Alexander Bolton contributed to this story.


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[cutthemdown]

No one project will ever make or break our energy supply. Whatever Obama got some stiff wind from some greeny's that got organized and caved. The repubs will use it as an issue but all the oil hits the market someday whether it goes through to the pacific or cuts down to the gulf. So any notion it means that oil wont get burnt is a joke.

Obama will take some heat from the union guys who would have worked and it could hurt the voter turnout for those small areas affected. But overall not a huge issue IMO.

What r the big issues in FLA, COLO I think those would be more interesting to focus. I have no idea really. I hear people on the news etc talk about how important the Latino vote is in those states. But not really what latinos, or other people in those states see as the big issues.

[Blart]

Keystone XL pipeline would raise gas prices and destroy the environment. Period.


http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/globallab..._Reportpdf.pdf


^ That's what an independent, peer-reviewed study looks like. Note that none exist that verify claims made by the oil industry.

[UltimateHoboW/Shotgun]

Originally Posted by Blart

Keystone XL pipeline would raise gas prices and destroy the environment. Period.


.

You know they make pads for that.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Carney said, calling GOP efforts to approve the pipeline “purely ideological and political.”

Yep, the Right Wingers in Congress continue to get nothing done, being more interested in trying to find a way to paint Obama in a "bad light".

It looks like America is seeing through the party of "No" these days as Obama continues to rise in ratings and the rabel the Right is trying to run against him sink lower and lower.

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LETTER: Keep Keystone Pipeline oil in America
Curtis Hallman
Moundville
Published: Friday, February 24, 2012 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 8:54 p.m.

Dear Editor: The Republicans in Congress just voted to build the Keystone Oil Pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. But as I predicted a few months ago, they also voted to allow the energy products from this pipeline to be sold overseas.

You hear the Republicans and the talking heads on the Fox propaganda channel saying we need this pipeline for America’s energy future. So why allow the oil and gas to go overseas? If you do not believe what I am saying, please read page 3B of The Tuscaloosa News’s Feb. 20 edition.

The Republicans also voted to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. They also voted to nearly triple offshore drilling in federal waters, and to open more federal land to drilling. All this oil will be sold on the open market.

I have no problem with opening these areas to drilling. I would like to see America become more energy independent. But oil and gas from federal land and waters are almost free for the oil companies. They pay no royalties to the government and the taxpayers subsidize a lot of the cost of drilling.

Our Congresswoman Terri Sewell voted to stop this oil from going overseas. But all of Alabama’s other Congressmen and Sen. Richard Shelby voted to allow this oil to go overseas.

[elsid13]

To much politics and very little economic,environmentally or real business analysis being done on this proposal.

[Rohirrim]

Keystone is nothing more than another subsidy to the oil companies at our expense.