The differences between the 113th and 114th United States Congresses are large and noticeable if for no other reason that the house and senate are now both controlled by Republicans. This means that there will be a shift in focus on what laws get passed and what get sent to the trash. Now that Republicans are in control again, they will start looking towards laws and acts that had been sidelined by the previous Democrat-controlled congress and President Obama. One of the first laws they will look at is the Keystone XL pipeline and getting the 4th and final pipeline built so that the entire project can finally be completed.
The Keystone XL Pipeline is an addition to the already existing Keystone Pipeline that runs from Canada to the United States and transports crude oil and petroleum from wells and tar sand fields in Canada. The XL addition would run through the state of Nebraska and would cross over the Sandhills (a large wetland ecosystem) and the Ogallala Aquifer (one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world). It is the possible contamination of both the Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer that are causing consternation amongst people living in the area and activists and the reason that the pipeline hasn’t been built yet.
While the passing of the Keystone XL pipeline seemed like a sure thing in early 2014, time proved that that wasn’t to be the case. Between pressures from local activists and people who would be living in the new pipeline territory as well as scientists and governmental organizations who all spoke to the damage it would cause to the federally protected land it was crossing through, the pipeline and the law regarding it was sidelined and doomed to nothingness. With Republicans now in control of the Congress, projects such as the Keystone Pipeline are now back in focus and are going to be vigorously debated in the coming weeks and months.
If you’d like to read more, the link is here.
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