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Keystone PiPeline Fails in the senate The Keystone XL pipeline will have to wait until the new Congress settles in to have another run at approval. On Nov. 18, a bill to authorize construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline was defeated by one vote in the Senate (59-41), after similar legislation passed in the House. It was uniformly supported by Republicans and managed to gain 13 votes among Senate Democrats. The Sierra Club, as would be expect- ed, was pleased with these developments. "We applaud the Senators who stood up for the health of our families and our climate by fighting back against this big polluter-funded sideshow," said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, in a release. "There's no good reason the Senate should have wasted all this time on yet another meaningless push for Keystone XL. Since day one, the decision on the pipeline has belonged to President Obama, and he has repeatedly said he will reject this pipeline if it contributes to the climate crisis. As there is no doubt that it does, we remain confident that is precisely what he'll do." A variety of groups were less pleased with this vote. American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Jack Gerard said the Senate's failure to pass legisla- tion to build the Keystone XL pipeline shows a few stood in the way of the larg- est bi-partisan jobs and energy security bill ignoring the will of the American people on Election Day. "A handful of Senators blocked a long overdue decision on KXL defy- ing the will of the American people," said Gerard. "Instead of seizing a rare bipartisan opportunity to help American workers and strengthen our energy secu- rity, a few Senators returned to politics as usual. This is not what the electorate voted for two weeks ago and it doesn't bode well for future bipartisanship. "Keystone XL is not going away, the president will have to deal with it, if not now then next year. We will work with the new Congress to focus on getting this important jobs project approved. We will not give up until the pipeline is built." The New England Fuel Institute, which also supports passage and called upon its members to reach out to their legislators, was also displeased with the results as indicated by the following released statement: President Obama may be breathing a sigh of relief that he will not be forced to veto this legislation but his relief will be short-lived. During a press conference with Republican leaders immediately after the vote, bill sponsor John Hoeven (R-ND) promised it would be a top priority when his party takes con- trol of the Senate next year. Support from newly-elected Republicans and moderate Democrats in the new Congress will pro- vide more than enough votes to pass the bill and perhaps even the 67 votes necessary to override a Presidential veto. Senator Hoeven said it could be taken up as stand- alone legislation once again, included in a broader energy package or tucked into a must-pass appropriations bill. We would like to thank the many NEFI members and supporters that made phone calls in support of this legislation. NEFI will continue to monitor devel- opments closely and provide additional updates going forward. However, oil industry groups were not the only ones disappointed. Unions, typically more in the Democratic camp as allies go, are showing their frustra- tion at the current administration and lame-duck leadership in the Senate. Terry O'Sullivan, General President of LIUNA—the Laborers' International Union of North America—made the following statement on the U.S. Senate vote regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline: Today's failure of the U.S. Senate to autho- rize the Keystone XL Pipeline is a vote against all construction workers, a vote to keep good, middle-class jobs locked out of reach and a vote to continue to rely on nations that hate America for our energy. As the White House politicized the construction of the pipeline, 41 Senate Democrats cowardly stepped in line, throwing one of their own colleagues, Sen. Mary Landrieu, along with hard working blue-collar construction workers under the bus. That Democrats would block the pipe- line's approval in spite of the fact that repeated environmental impact statements have all concluded that the Keystone XL will have no appreciable impact on green- house gas emissions, leaves us disillusioned, disgusted and exasperated with the current majority party and it leaves no doubt as to why they will soon be the minority party. Continued pandering to environ- mental extremists, who want to hamper www.fueloilnews.com | FUel oil neWs | December 2014 3 DATELINE • Keystone Pipeline Fails in the Senate • New Report: Natural Gas Industry Has Spent $49 Million to Influence PA Elected Officials Since 2007 • OESP Returns to Hershey for 2015 Convention & Trade Show STATES - pg 10 • OHCNH to Push for ULS Heating Oil • Two Upstate New York Heating Oil Associations Merge into the Upstate New York Energy Association • Kim Keil Joins Oil Heat Institute of Eastern New York Board • Amy Keehal Named Treasure Oil Heat Institute of Eastern New York • Special Profile: CEMA Files Suit FUELS/EIA - pg 13 • EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook Highlights • Natural Gas Is the Dominant Heating Fuel in Colder Parts of the Country BUSINESS OpErATIONS - pg 18 • MotorWeek's John Davis to Emcee 2015 Green Truck Summit • SIGMA Elects Tom Gresham as President • American Business Forms & Envelopes Has New Catalog HVAC/HyDrONICS - pg 43 • Taco Forms Strategic Collaboration for Joint R &D, New Pump Designs • Shawn Duffy Named Northeast Regional Sales Manager for Tremcar/Boston Steel & Mfg. • UTC Building & Industrial Systems Announces Price Increase • US Patent Issued for Pro-Pal® Products • Bacharach Launches Heating Efficiency Savings Calculator App • Grundf os Launches CM, CME Pump Assembly in Pennsylvania • Bacharach INSIGHT® Plus Promotion Featured News DateliNe BREAKING NEWS