Will House Dems Pressure Their Senate Colleagues to Support Keystone Energy & Jobs?

April 25, 2012

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Shelley Adler (NJ-03), Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Ami Bera (CA-07), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Jim Costa (CA-16), Val Demings (FL-10), Tammy Duckworth (IL-08), Bill Foster (IL-11), Lois Frankel (FL-22), John Garamendi (CA-03), David Gill (IL-13), Alan Grayson (FL-09), Brad Harriman (IL-12), Jose Hernandez (CA-10), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Kathy Hochul (NY-27), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-03), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Mark Murphy (NY-11), Bill Owens (NY-21), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Scott Peters (CA-52), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Lori Saldaña (CA-52), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Mark Takano (CA-41), Paul Tonko (NY-20)

Will Rahall Pressure Jay Rockefeller to Support Keystone Energy & Jobs?
West Virginia Democrat Finds Himself in a Unique Position to Advocate for the Keystone Pipeline

WASHINGTON — Although both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have strongly opposed recent efforts to pass the Keystone XL pipeline, Nick Rahall now finds himself in a unique position to help support this popular project. Rahall’s Senate ally Jay Rockefeller has been appointed as one of the key negotiators that could make these jobs and energy independence a reality. Given this situation, Rahall should absolutely call on his Democrat colleague in the Senate to help advocate for the popular Keystone pipeline and the badly needed jobs and energy independence it would provide.

“Nick Rahall has been given the unique opportunity to help green-light the popular Keystone pipeline project through fierce opposition from his Democrat leaders who are desperate to please anti-energy donors this election year,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “If Rahall dodges this opportunity to call upon his Senate ally Jay Rockefeller to stand up for Keystone, then he will surely be disappointing middle-class families struggling with a bad economy and prices at the gas pump.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid joined President Obama in opposition to passing the Keystone pipeline in the upcoming transportation package:

“Senate Democrats will hold firm and reject House Republican demands to include approval of the Keystone oil pipeline in transportation funding legislation, their leader said Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday said he would not in any way help Republicans move Keystone approval across the finish line.” (Ben Geman, “Reid draws line against Keystone,” The Hill‘s E2 Wire Blog, 4/24/12)

But West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller was named as one the key negotiators that could be a strong voice for approving the Keystone pipeline:

“Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), David Vitter (R-La.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) will be the Senate conference chairmen to resolve the differences between the Senate and House versions of the highway funding extension bill.” (Daniel Strauss, “Senate names conferees for highway bill,” The Hill‘s Floor Action Blog, 4/24/12)

Will House Dems Pressure Their Senate Colleagues to Support Keystone Energy & Jobs? http://ow.ly/avAQ5 #powerfailure

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