Oil Lubricates Political Machine

Long-stalled legislation to finish the Keystone XL pipeline got a new lease on life Wednesday.
It happened after Senate Democrats suddenly abandoned efforts to block the controversial oil pipeline.
The Democrats gave up blocking the Keystone for political reasons—in hopes of helping endangered Sen. Mary Landrieu keep her seat in energy-rich Louisiana.
But as the Associated Press noted: “Republicans responded swiftly to Landrieu’s maneuvering, scheduling a vote in the House [for today] on an identical bill sponsored by [Congressman] Bill Cassidy.
Mr. Cassidy just happens to be Sen. Landrieu’s Republican rival in a runoff election set for Dec. 6th.
The White House stopped short of directly threatening a veto on the Republican’s Keystone countermeasure.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Obama takes a “dim view” of legislative efforts to force action on the Keystone project.
Earnest repeated the President’s preference for evaluating the pipeline through a long-stalled State Department review.
The Keystone XL, which is partially built, is controversial because its backers promise thousands of quality jobs. But opponents insist that most of the work will be temporary construction jobs.
Environmental concerns include the fact that Keystone oil is extracted from tar-sands in Alberta, Canada. This thick “oil sludge,” in order to be piped from Canada to Texas refineries, has to be heated under high pressure. Otherwise, it won’t flow.
Therefore, some opponents fear the pipeline could burst and pollute critical aquifers and other waterways vital to agriculture and other human needs.
Furthermore, there’s a dispute over whether most of the oil, once it’s processed, will be exported instead of being added to America’s energy pool.
On the Senate floor, Sen. Landrieu stated: “I believe that we should take the new majority leader at his word and stop blocking legislation that is broadly supported by the American public.”
However, she did not state where she got the information that the Keystone has broad public support.
Landrieu has cast herself as an “independent” willing to challenge both Democrats and Republicans.
She told the press: “I’ve stood against my leadership. And I’ve stood up to the Republicans.”
The Republicans had a virtual landslide in the midterm elections by seizing majority control of the Senate. A GOP victory in the Louisiana runoff would bolster that majority.
The new Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, feels the election of a Republican Senate majority has already changed the dynamic.
In a statement, he said: “I hope this post-election conversion on Keystone signals Democrat cooperation on a whole host of other energy bills they have blocked.”
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has moved in the past to prevent the Keystone from advancing. That gave some credence to Republican claims that Landrieu is ineffective as Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairwoman.
Since energy in general is a central issue at this juncture, the Keystone is a frequent flashpoint. Yet both Landrieu and Cassidy support the pipeline. That shows that, as many critics have claimed, the difference between Democrats and Republicans can be paper-thin.
Notably, Landrieu has a strong alliance with the oil and gas industry and has pushed for an expansion of drilling in the U.S.
These developments show that the real story here is America’s continuing addiction to crude oil, regardless of its source. All-electric cars, hydrogen-powered vehicles, natural gas as fuel and various other hopeful options continue to get sidelined—as both parties stick to oil as a key lubricant for the political machine.