House Approves KXL Pipeline for 8th Time in Meaningless, Grandstanding, Votification-Like Gesture
"In what will likely prove as meaningless a vote as the 37th repeal vote of Obamacare, on Wednesday night 241 members of the House of Representatives voted to approve the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. H.R. 3 would give Congress the power to approve the pipeline and allow TransCanada to build the northern leg without a cross-border permit.
These legislators support the oil industrys push for the pipeline, even though it would create far fewer jobs than its supporters claim, would do nothing to make the country more energy independent, and would facilitate a dramatic increase in the production of high carbon polluting tar sands oil.
The 241 members who voted for the bill have taken a collective $39,150,812 in career contributions from the oil and gas industry, compared to $5,094,217 for those who voted no. Even more starkly, in the last election cycle, that split widens to $11,529,335 versus $742,125."
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/05/23/1952761/house-attempts-to-force-approval-of-keystone-pipeline-that-would-create-just-35-permanent-jobs/