House Passes Keystone XL-- With Help From 31 Democrats

bye-bye Mary-- glad to see you go; too bad it wasn't a primary

Harry Reid has prevented a vote on the Keystone Pipeline boondoggle but the House just passed it again and this time-- at the urging of Mary Landrieu and a few other red state Democrats-- he's agreed to allow a vote. This isn't going to save Landrieu's doomed reelection; it's just going to further tarnish the Democratic brand. Although Obama has vowed to veto the bill, it's not inconceivable that the Republicans and corrupt conservative Republican wing of the Democratic Party can muster enough votes to override a veto.

Boehner let Bill Cassidy, Landrieu's opponent, take credit as the author-- the bill was actually written by lobbyists-- and it passed 252-161. Evert single Republican backed it, as did 31 craven mostly-conservative Democrats, several of whom were defeated last Tuesday precisely because of this kind of behavior. These were the Democratic sellouts-- the bolded ones were either defeated last week or have been force to resign instead of undergoing the humiliation of defeat:

• John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)- $352,950
• Sanford Bishop (Blue Dog-GA)- $58,430
• Robert Brady (PA)- $52,775
• Jim Clyburn (SC)- $71,950
• Jim Cooper (Blue Dog-PA)- $89,875
• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)- $400,775
• Mike Doyle (PA)- $168,012
• Al Green (TX)- $40,200
• Gene Green (TX)- $613,263
• Ruben Hinojosa (TX)- $150,334
• Sheila Jackson Lee (TX)- $222,750
• Dan Lipinski (Blue Dog-IL)- $4,000
• Dave Loebsack (IA)- $2,000
• Sean Patrick Maloney (New Dem-NY)- $2,000 (cheap date)
• Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)- $442,747
• Carolyn McCarthy (New Dem-NY)- $16,600
• Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)- $117,600
• Patrick Murphy (New Dem-FL)- $19,450
• Rick Nolan (MN)- $1,500
• Donald Norcross (NJ)- n.a.
• Bill Owens (New Dem-NY)- $2,125
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)- $81,350
• Nick Rahall (Blue Dog-WV)- $183,208
• Cedric Richmond (New Dem-LA)- $90,250
• David Scott (New Dem-GA)- $20,050
• Terri Sewell (New Dem-AL)- $29,100
• Albio Sires (NJ)- $15,000
• Bennie Thompson (MS)- $117,227
• Marc Veasey (TX)- $98,250
• Filemon Vela (New Dem-TX)- $32,800
• Tim Walz (MN)- $14,000

Since 1990, Big Oil and Gas has handed out $469,585,280 in legalistic bribes to Members of Congress and candidates for Congress. $308,979,876 has gone to Republicans and $159,221,589 has gone to Democrats, although in recent years, as Big Oil has become a blatant part of the Republican operation, less and less money goes to Democrats. In the most recent election cycle, Republicans got $31,497,088 and Democrats took in $11,712,439. The figure after each name is the amount the oil and gas sector has donated to their campaigns since they were elected to Congress. It looks like Big Oil has cut off Pete Gallego's bribes. This was the first good vote he's taken since being elected-- too late to save his seat. A CIA-financed spy beat him, Will Hurd, who will be up against Kickapoo lobbyist Pepe Aranda of Eagle Pass in 2016.

Right now Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) is likely to win the ranking member slot on the House Natural Resources Committee. He was one of the leaders of the battle against the Keystone Pipeline deal. This was his statement today after voting NO, loudly:

"Once again, Congressional Republicans brought a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that will benefit one Canadian corporation, its customers-- namely, China-- and very few others. The risks it poses to our environment and our national security, as well as the blatant disregard being paid to treaties by proponents of this project are all cause for alarm.

"This pipeline would cross the Ogallala aquifer, which provides drinking water to eight states. The startling lack of security around key segments of the pipeline could allow for a deliberate sabotage, which could create the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the middle of the American Heartland-- but with a slurry of highly toxic bitumen and other hazardous chemicals seeping into the land Americans live on. A legal route through Nebraska has not even been established at this point, yet proponents are content to throw caution to the wind for the Keystone XL.

"This is energy policy passed on behalf of a Canadian corporation, conducted at the expense of our national integrity. It’s a bad deal for the American people, and I am proud to oppose it."

UPDATE: Thanks To Landrieu, Senate Votes Tuesday

Bernie Sanders, of course, like all real Democrats, will vote no. This was Bernie's statement after every House Republican (+ 31 Democrats primarily from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party) voted to hasten the end of a habitable planet:

“Rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline is a no-brainer,” Sanders said. “Instead of increasing carbon emissions and accelerating climate change so oil companies can make more profits, we should put millions of Americans back to work rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and creating a sustainable energy future.”

The pipeline would carry some of the dirtiest crude oil on the planet from Canada’s tar sands region in Alberta to refineries along the Gulf Coast in Texas.

A member of the Senate environment and energy committees, Sanders said approving the pipeline would send a terrible message about the United States’ commitment to deal with global warming.

“The scientific community is virtually unanimous in saying that climate change is real, it is already causing devastating problems in our country and around the world and that if we do not transform our energy system away from fossil fuel that situation is only going to get worse in terms of floods and drought and extreme weather disturbances,” Sanders said.

Backers of the pipeline say it will create jobs. In fact, according to a State Department analysis, only about 50 workers would operate the completed pipeline. In terms of construction jobs, Sanders said, Congress should approve a massive program to rebuild and repair bridges, railroads, water systems, airports and other infrastructure projects. That effort would create millions of decent-paying jobs and make our country more efficient and productive.