SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Keystone XL Pipeline Protest at White House (photo: Emma Cassidy / Tar Sands Action)
GOP's Plan B for Tar Sands Pipeline Approval
Plan seeks Congressional reins of control of pipeline
Jan 12, 2012
Legislation passed in December included a provision requiring the White House to make a decision on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline project in 60 days. Republicans had already begun putting the pressure on Obama to make the decision.
Now it seems that even if President Obama decides against the pipeline project, Republicans have a plan to push it through anyway.
Reuters reports:
U.S. Congressional Republicans, who are urging President Barack Obama to back the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, are now working on plans to take the reins of approval from the hands of the president should the White House say no.
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, whose state is counting on the pipeline to help move its newfound bounty of shale oil, is drafting legislation that would see Congress give the green light to the project by using its constitutional powers to regulate commerce with foreign nations, an aide said.
The Edmonton Sun reports:
"We believe that express authority in the Constitution gives Congress the ability to approve and move forward on such a project," Ryan Bernstein, an energy advisor to Hoeven, told Reuters.
Reuters has more on Hoeven's background:
Hoeven is a former governor of North Dakota, where shale oil production is booming and the Keystone pipeline would help move part of its bounty to markets.
The Edmonton Sun notes that Hoeven was key in adding the pipeline provision to the payroll tax cut legislation:
Hoeven, who penned the Keystone provision in the payroll tax cut extension bill late last year that forces the White House to decide on the project in 60 days, is keen for the pipeline to be built to transport shale oil out of his state.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Legislation passed in December included a provision requiring the White House to make a decision on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline project in 60 days. Republicans had already begun putting the pressure on Obama to make the decision.
Now it seems that even if President Obama decides against the pipeline project, Republicans have a plan to push it through anyway.
Reuters reports:
U.S. Congressional Republicans, who are urging President Barack Obama to back the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, are now working on plans to take the reins of approval from the hands of the president should the White House say no.
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, whose state is counting on the pipeline to help move its newfound bounty of shale oil, is drafting legislation that would see Congress give the green light to the project by using its constitutional powers to regulate commerce with foreign nations, an aide said.
The Edmonton Sun reports:
"We believe that express authority in the Constitution gives Congress the ability to approve and move forward on such a project," Ryan Bernstein, an energy advisor to Hoeven, told Reuters.
Reuters has more on Hoeven's background:
Hoeven is a former governor of North Dakota, where shale oil production is booming and the Keystone pipeline would help move part of its bounty to markets.
The Edmonton Sun notes that Hoeven was key in adding the pipeline provision to the payroll tax cut legislation:
Hoeven, who penned the Keystone provision in the payroll tax cut extension bill late last year that forces the White House to decide on the project in 60 days, is keen for the pipeline to be built to transport shale oil out of his state.
Legislation passed in December included a provision requiring the White House to make a decision on TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline project in 60 days. Republicans had already begun putting the pressure on Obama to make the decision.
Now it seems that even if President Obama decides against the pipeline project, Republicans have a plan to push it through anyway.
Reuters reports:
U.S. Congressional Republicans, who are urging President Barack Obama to back the Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, are now working on plans to take the reins of approval from the hands of the president should the White House say no.
North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, whose state is counting on the pipeline to help move its newfound bounty of shale oil, is drafting legislation that would see Congress give the green light to the project by using its constitutional powers to regulate commerce with foreign nations, an aide said.
The Edmonton Sun reports:
"We believe that express authority in the Constitution gives Congress the ability to approve and move forward on such a project," Ryan Bernstein, an energy advisor to Hoeven, told Reuters.
Reuters has more on Hoeven's background:
Hoeven is a former governor of North Dakota, where shale oil production is booming and the Keystone pipeline would help move part of its bounty to markets.
The Edmonton Sun notes that Hoeven was key in adding the pipeline provision to the payroll tax cut legislation:
Hoeven, who penned the Keystone provision in the payroll tax cut extension bill late last year that forces the White House to decide on the project in 60 days, is keen for the pipeline to be built to transport shale oil out of his state.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.