Senators paid 250k for Keystone XL vote

http://www.examiner.com/article/senators-paid-250k-for-keystone-xl-vote

February 18, 20158:42 PM MST

Americans' human rights depend on their choice of energy sources by: becoming involved, holding elected leaders accountable, electing those who won't become hookers for Big Oil's big money.

Sixty-two United States senators who voted against human rights and for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline last month made out like bandits, thanks to the oil and gas industry paying each of them nearly $250,000 and paying over $1 million to one. MapLight, a nonpartisan research group tracking money that influences politics, spilled the beans on the paid off senators Wednesday, just as the industry spilled more of its deadly oil across the nation. Another major crude oil-carrying train exploded yesterday and a refinery exploded in southern California today.

The bought senators news also comes as the House of Representatives is poised to pass the Senate legislation Wednesday, approving the pipeline and start transferring oil from western Canada to Gulf Coast refineries.

President Barack Obama has threatened to support the millions of health and environment advocates by vetoing the pipeline. The oil and gas industry, due to benefit from the XL pipeline, gave an average of $236,544 to senators who voted yes on Keystone, about 10 times more than senators who voted no.

International Business Times reports that Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., the Keystone Senate bill sponsor, received about $275,000 from the industry, according to MapLight. He was not, however, the biggest oil and gas industry money beneficiary in the Senate.

"That distinction goes to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who has received more than $1 million from the industry, which is important to Texas. The Democratic co-sponsor of the Keystone bill, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, received about $200,000 from the industry -- the biggest beneficiary of oil and gas money among Democrats. But there were 24 Republicans who got larger contributions from the industry than him."

This morning, a blast with earthquake devastated a Southern California town's Exxon refinery, sending smoke, flames and ash soaring into the sky, and local residents sheltering inside.

Yesterday, a crude oil-carrying train derailed and exploded, leaving five of the up to 125 people still displaced. The train was hauling 3 million gallons of North Dakota crude oil, still burning this evening.