Keystone XL pipeline bill fails to pass US Senate by 1 vote

The U.S. Senate rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, proposed to run from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, in a Tuesday evening vote. The motion needed 60 votes in favour to pass. The bill failed after 59 senators voted in favour and 41 were against. Prior to the vote, 59 senators had publicly voiced support and the hunt was on for the 60th vote needed to advance the measure

www.cbc.ca...

45 Republicans and 14 Democrats voted to approve Keystone XL pipeline bill; 0 Republicans and 41 Democrats voted against the measure that Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., had pushed - @NBCNews

www.breakingnews.com...

I didn't realize that they were voting on it today. Interesting

I wonder how much cash has already been spent, whether it can get a second wind in the future, and how pissed off the investors are right now.
-Not that I personally care, I'm British Columbian and we have our own pipeline issues to deal with..

a reply to: canucks555
The Investors will never give up. They will just try again and again and again, whether The People want it or not and eventually the fight will be lost. Like having an argument with someone who won't stop whining without even making a point.

Well that's good.

In case you haven't noticed as well, and I don't have the source handy. I think it's the Lakota tribe that said it will never go through their land and that this is an act of war? If it passes?

Things could get interesting.

Take away all the environmental concerns, and there are quite a few, it comes down to...Is it worth it? I think not.

I would have thought with the drop in oil prices that even keeping the tar sands going might not be feasible .Without a pipe line the rail will have to upgrade and that will also be costly . The pipe line is the cheapest way to move the stuff but aside from getting it passed they still might have other things . No easy solutions it seems. There was talk of running a pipe line to the east too . a reply to: canucks555

Politicians are the biggest problem next to of course all the greedy corporate muppets that own them.

Good.

Why does it have to go across the US? Why can't it go across Canada to the Pacific?

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
I would have thought with the drop in oil prices that even keeping the tar sands going might not be feasible .Without a pipe line the rail will have to upgrade and that will also be costly . The pipe line is the cheapest way to move the stuff but aside from getting it passed they still might have other things . No easy solutions it seems. There was talk of running a pipe line to the east too .

Technology has come a long ways since the last time oil was low enough to bother the oil sands. Current break point is well under $75/barrel, so it will continue for some time.

As for rail...I'm sure Buffet doesn't mind.

Now, as for the cheapest...well, that would depend on how you define cheapest. If you mean cheapest lifetime, total impact costs...than yes, pipe is cheapest. If you mean cheapest upfront cost, than no, pipe is not the cheapest. Granted, the alternatives have magnitudes larger lifetime, total impact costs, but meh...rail won the propaganda war, so rail it is.

a reply to: canucks555

Actually George Soros and Adelman are celebrating. The prefer to profit from their foreign oil and coal investments imports over America. That's why the pour millions into Democrats campaign.

U.S. Refiners Don't Care if Keystone Gets Built

Railroads and Rival Pipeline Firms Are Making the Keystone Pipeline Less Necessary.

Keystone Pipeline Seen as Irrelevant as Senate Vote Nears

In fact, the Keystone XL has long ceased to have any meaningful relation to the world of oil.

It's no longer about jobs, oil independence, or gas prices. It's all political and thus, just a matter of principle at this point.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Look at the map in the OP. There is already a pipeline going to the midwest where refineries are at. That is partially why we have lower gas prices. They want a pipeline that will bypass those refineries which means or fuel prices go up.

I think much of it is already in place. They have been working on it for a while. Of coarse tx wasted no time building their end.

No permanent jobs to be had from this or any pipeline, the oil from this or any pipeline across the US is not for US consumption anyway, it's only for refinement to be sold elsewhere. The companies wanting the pipelines built have only proven irresponsible and pass the clean up costs to the local tax payers and they don't maintain the pipelines at all. Last and certainly not least, the Tribal Nations that all these pipelines want to pass through have said no, every single one of them.

The answer is NO. Stop trying.

originally posted by: amfirst1
a reply to: canucks555

Actually George Soros and Adelman are celebrating. The prefer to profit from their foreign oil and coal investments imports over America. That's why the pour millions into Democrats campaign.

You do know this was foreign oil investment right? It is Canadian oil that would have been processed in refineries half owned by the Saudi's.

Few permanent jobs, true. But a shiatload of long term temporary jobs for those of us in petro-chem construction. Not all on the pipeline itself, of course, but also on the refineries and chemical plants that are expanding like mad right now. How much of this new construction and expansion are driven by the XL I don't know but there is more work in the plants right now than I have seen in my 23 year career. A significant amount of our weekly pay goes towards the hotels, RV parks, groceries, and bars in the area's in which we work so don't discount the local economic impact of projects like the XL. If it has to go through, it will.

a reply to: buster2010 Yep. That's why we just did a 4 year expansion at the Motiva plant in Port Arthur. Mostly financed by the Saudis

Houston, Texas, August 3, 2006 - Bechtel Corporation and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced today that they were awarded a contract by Motiva Enterprises LLC (jointly owned by Saudi Refining, Inc. and Shell Oil Company) to provide engineering, procurement, and construction services for a proposed 325,000 barrel per day (BPD) refinery expansion at its Port Arthur, Texas, facility

Motiva

The oil is going to China, the pipeline is a Chinese contract worth close to 60 billion, their booming economy is in need of oil, any way they can get it. The pacific coast of Canadians said no way, that was the original plan, but environmentalists, and a few oil companies also said no way, there was a lot of backlash putting it through the pacific coast, so they needed an alternative route and this was the deal that was made.

Whether it ever goes through is anybodys guess.
Big money for the US and Canada, energy for China.

a reply to: canucks555

It will pass first thing next year when the senate is controled by the repubics

a reply to: guitarplayer

And they will have the ability to counter Obama's veto. If 14 Demos currently voted for it. Than enough people can veto the president. Obama mine as well sign it to law so he doesn't look like an obstructionist.