U.S. Mid-Term Elections rekindles Keystone XL pipeline debate. The controversial Keystone XL project, a proposed 1,897 km pipeline that would carry oil sands bitumen from Alberta to refineries in the Gulf Coast, is back at the top of the U.S. political agenda now that the mid-term elections are coming up in November. Republicans -- who are expected to make significant gains this year -- support the pipeline, with some declaring they would push through a Keystone bill if they were to be elected. Its very, very likely that there will be a Keystone bill fairly early on in 2015, Ben Lieberman from the Republican-controlled House energy committee told audiences last week at the Wilson Center think-tank. David Roberts, a writer for popular environmental news site Grist, called the current situation an unholy nightmare for President Barack Obama, who has repeatedly delayed a decision despite pressure from Senate Democrats to back the project. Although the Keystone XL pipeline has been touted as a job-creator by proponents, the project has been widely opposed by environmentalists, who say it will incentivize for Canada to triple its oil sands output by 2035. NASA scientist James Hansen said rapid oil sands expansion would mean game over for the climate. vancouverobserver/news/us-mid-term-election-rekindles-keystone-xl-debate
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 05:26:35 +0000
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