U.S. Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, Democrats from Minnesota, voted against the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline during its defeat in 2014 and again in 2015 when a Republican Senate passed legislation, only to have it vetoed by President Obama.
Both senators agreed that the project could create jobs, but they were concerned about the environmental impact. Franken said studies were necessary before considering legislation.
“The decision to permit the Keystone XL pipeline has to be based on careful evaluation of the risks and benefits of the project,”
Franken said in a press release in June 2014. He said the project needed further analysis and information from various agencies.
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“There’s no question the project would create jobs,” Franken said. “And I believe that it could help address challenges associated with transporting oil on rail, which has been a major problem in Minnesota. But we also need to understand the full effects of the pipeline on the environment — along the route of the pipeline and on climate change.”
Franken and Klobuchar continued to request further debate on the project before the January 2015 vote, saying the Keystone XL needed more reviews.
“I don’t believe that Congress should circumvent the regular permitting process for the Keystone pipeline as there are still agencies reviewing the project that have yet to complete their analysis,”
Franken said, according to the Star Tribune.
After the two senators repeated their votes against the project,
the Republican Party of Minnesota released a statement, saying, “It’s obvious Franken and Klobuchar will do anything to back Obama’s out of touch agenda, even if that means ignoring the majority of Americans who support the Keystone XL Pipeline.”
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The Senate approved the Keystone XL project, an expansion of the current pipeline from Canada to Texas, but the 62-36 vote fell short of a two-thirds needed to override the president’s veto. Franken and Klobuchar also voted against the override.
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