U.S. Senate Republicans block energy bill, forfeit a Keystone vote

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

U.S. Senate Republicans block energy bill, forfeit a Keystone vote
Source: Reuters - Mon, 12 May 2014 10:54 PM

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday blocked an energy-efficiency bill backed by manufacturers and environmentalists, forfeiting a chance to vote on the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline.

On a vote of 55-36, President Barack Obama's Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bipartisan energy bill supported by the White House.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, had offered a vote on a separate bill to take the final decision on Keystone out of Obama's hands and give it to Congress - if Republicans allowed passage of the energy bill.

But Republicans refused. They complained Reid had barred them from offering amendments to the bill, including one that would have reined in emissions-cutting regulations on coal-fired power plants, a top strategy in Obama's fight on climate change.


Read more: http://www.trust.org/item/20140512223838-jad8a/

[mac56]

1. Guess they don't want that pipeline after all.

[Bibliovore]

4. Or at any rate, they want to be able to blame its absence on Obama

[mac56]

5. I do believe that will backfire on them.

Each one who promised constituents a pipeline is now vulnerable to questions about why they passed up this opportunity.

[pscot]

2. Their way or the highway

Not literally, of course. They also refuse too raise more money for highway construction and maintenance

[tofuandbeer]

3. Nah. They're waiting to see if they make gains in the upcoming elections.

And with the recent unabashed help of SCOTUS, they probably will.

[Arkana]

6. Guess they don't really want the pipeline then.

They're so knee-jerk anti-Obama that it finally bit them in the ass.