Senator Ted Cruz waded into the fray with a blunt denunciation of Democrats who oppose the controversial pipeline, and accused opponents of Keystone XL – especially environmentalists who claim it will spur development of Alberta’s vast, carbon-laden, fossil-fuel reserve – of failing to comprehend that a pipeline was the environmentally responsible way to move oil.JABIN BOTSFORD/The New York Times
As the rancorous debate over Keystone XL continued Tuesday, the only U.S. senator born in Alberta, Ted Cruz, waded into the fray with a blunt denunciation of Democrats who oppose the controversial pipeline.
"This ought to be a no-brainer," the Texas Republican said, echoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who once used the phrase in an attempt to prod U.S. President Barack Obama into approving the proposed pipeline that would send Alberta oil sands crude across the United States to the Texas coast.
Senator Cruz accused opponents of Keystone XL – especially environmentalists who claim it will spur development of Alberta's vast, carbon-laden, fossil-fuel reserve – of failing to comprehend that a pipeline was the environmentally responsible way to move oil.
"If you are a bearded, tattooed, Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging, Greenpeace environmental activist, you should love the Keystone pipeline," Mr. Cruz told the Senate, claiming pipelines were a safer and more environmentally acceptable way to ship oil than the alternatives of rail or barge or tanker.
The 54 Republicans in the Senate, along with nine Democratic senators who back Keystone XL, hope to force a final vote on the bill this week. It seizes control of the approval process from Mr. Obama who, for years, has delayed deciding about the project that has been turned into a measure of his commitment to combat global warming.
Late Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats agreed to vote on 18 of the amendments on Wednesday afternoon.
"It's now time to get through the remaining amendments and vote up or down on the bill," said Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader in the Senate.
Mr. McConnell promised an open amendment process in the full Senate but last week suddenly moved to close off further amendments. That infuriated Democratic senators, including those who back Keystone XL, and Mr. McConnell failed to get the 60 votes he needed to end debate on Monday.
Backers and opponents of Keystone XL have increasingly turned the project into a proxy for larger issues of job creation, energy independence, the perils of greenhouse gas emissions and whether Canadian oil is preferable to oil from countries less friendly to the United States.
Among those ardently defending Keystone XL on Tuesday was Mr. Cruz, who was born in Alberta to American parents who worked in the oil patch. Mr. Cruz was a dual-national until he renounced his Canadian citizenship last year. That was widely seen as a pre-emptive move to eliminate any questions about his loyalty and citizenship because he is considered a probable candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
As the increasingly bitter debate over Keystone XL continued for a second week, Mr. Cruz accused Democrats of turning their backs on blue-collar workers who would benefit most from building TransCanada Corp.'s $8-billion pipeline.
"The modern Democratic party … cares more about the campaign donations of California environmentalist billionaires than they do about jobs for union members," said Mr. Cruz, in a not-so-veiled reference to Tom Steyer, who spent lavishly to back the midterm elections efforts of anti-Keystone XL Democrats.
Dozens of amendments have been proposed to the Keystone XL approval bill. They range from stripping Environmental Protection Agency officers of firearms to repealing the 96-year-old Jones Act that requires maritime cargoes between U.S. ports be carried in U.S. ships crewed by Americans.