Keystone XL veto pushed back to next year

It was a symbolic but still significant victory for Mother Earth when the Senate failed to pass the Keystone XL Pipeline Bill yesterday. Two Senate Independents joined 39 Democrats to deny the GOP from sending a bill to President Obama which he would likely veto. Keystone failed by ONE VOTE. The pipeline, a 34 inch wide, 1,700 assault on America's fragile substructure, designed to carry 800,000 gallons a day of Canada's dirtiest crude oil underneath the Heartland, is an environmental abomination that must be stopped. Sadly, it has been become a Republican and fossil fuel industry symbol in their effort to discredit and undermine the Obama Administration's effort to transition from toxic fossil fuel to renewable energy. To them, short term political and financial interest trumps sane long term survival of the planet every time.

This gives us a two month window to shore up Democratic and public opinion to support the looming veto when the 2015 Republican Senate majority finally passes the bill. Especially important is pealing off some of the 14 misguided Democratic senators who sided with every Republican to authorize the pipeline. If we can just keep all but five of our likely 46 member coalition of Democrats and Independents to vote for environmental sanity next January, Obama's veto will not be needed. If not, then his vetoing Keystone XL will be one of the more significant actions of his presidency.