Independent Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has introduced an amendment to the Keystone XL bill that will force Republicans to put their climate ignorance on public display. Republicans are hell-bent on pushing through legislation in support of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline even if President Obama has vowed to veto it.
Here is Sander’s succinct amendment:
It is the sense of Congress that Congress is in agreement with the opinion of virtually the entire worldwide scientific community that—
(1) climate change is real;
(2) climate change is caused by human activities;
(3) climate change has already caused devastating problems in the United States and around the world;
(4) a brief window of opportunity exists before the United States and the entire planet suffer irreparable harm; and
(5) it is imperative that the United States transform its energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy as rapidly as possible.
If Republicans pass the Keystone XL legislation with Sander’s Rider, they are on record saying that their party’s stance on climate change and the anti-environment position of many GOP supporters is a farce and a sham.
Sander’s amendment is one of 20 that will be voted on this week. Even if they vote for the KXL legislation with the climate rider, it is destined to die as the Senate is currently about four votes shy of being able to override a Presidential veto.
No matter how you look at it, there are a host of good reasons why the KXL cannot be allowed to move forward.
Related
Video – Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Keystone XL
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Republican Congress to Push the Keystone XL
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Keystone XL will Emit 4 Times More Pollution than Originally Thought
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Business Leaders, Scientists, Economists and Ordinary People Reject the Keystone XL
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The Fate of the Keystone XL: The Ball is in Your Court Mr President
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Comparison of the Keystone XL and Renewable Energy
How Come the Keystone XL is so Hard to Kill
