Bernie Sanders is not a fan of the Keystone XL pipeline.
As the Senate prepares to vote on the project bringing tar sands oil from Alberta to the United States, the independent Vermont senator once again spoke out against its passage.
“I hope very much that we will not provide the 60 votes,” Sanders said on CNN Monday.
“Well, the scientific community tells us, virtually unanimous accounts, that climate change is real. It’s already causing devastating problems and if we do not transform our energy system away from fossil fuel, this planet is gonna face some serious problems,” Sanders said.
“The idea that we would give a green light for the transportation of 800,000 barrels of some of the dirtiest oils all over the world makes no sense to me,” he said.
Sanders also hit against a State Department statement released in January, which said the pipeline “is unlikely to significantly affect the rate of extraction in oil sands areas.” Sanders called the report “very faulty.”
“The people who did that study had a prior relationship with TransCanada,” he added.
When then asked to discuss potentially running for the 2016 Democratic nomination, Sanders replied, “I’m giving some thought to it.”
On Friday, the House approved Keystone by a vote of 252 to 161.
The Senate is set to vote on the bill Tuesday, although it’s unclear whether those in support have the 60 “yes” votes necessary to pass the measure.
