"This past Wednesday, the House of Representatives decided to celebrate Mother Earth a few days early by passing yet another bill, HR 4348, to pillage and plunder what is still left of her. As usual, our elected leaders chose to tack approval of the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline onto an unrelated, urgent matter. This time, highway funding, to try to coerce authorization for a project so dangerous, it could never obtain approval on its own.

While not at all surprising, the outcome of Wednesday's activities in the House is certainly disappointing. The Republican vote was predictable; misguided and unjustifiable, but predictable. I actually find the split among the Democrats to be more unsettling. 113 Democrats voted against the bill, but 69 voted for it. The fraudulent propaganda being pushed on us to protect the obscene profits of the oil industry seems to be taking its toll on both sides of the aisle. As persistent as Congress has been (I can count at least five bills that have been considered over the past few months containing language approving the KXL pipeline - and that doesn't include failed amendments), this dangerous game Congress is playing will be taking its toll on our children and our earth if we don't take a stand and put a stop to it."

Get the Story:
Jennifer S. Baker: If Built, the Keystone XL Pipeline Will Spill: Time to Act (Native News Network 4/21)

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