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Environmentalist billionaire Tom Steyer, a vocal opponent of the Keystone XL pipeline – and any Democrats who support it – hosted a $2,700-per-person fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at his San Francisco home, riling some green activists, Politico reports. Though Clinton has avoided public comment while the Obama administration weighs the fate of the pipeline, as secretary of state, she presided over studies that said the pipeline would pose few environmental risks – and even said in 2010 the administration was "inclined" to support it. "I am not surprised that he would want to get on-board the Clinton train, but I'm...

Exactly two months after the latest Warren Buffett-owned BNSF train derailed near the spot where the Galena river meets the Mississippi, resulting in a huge fire and the evacuation of all homes in a one mile radius, moments ago another of Buffett's BNSF oil trains derailed, this time near the town of Heimdal, North Dakota, resulting in the same outcome. According to the Bismark Tribune, the town in Wells County was evacuated Tuesday morning after a train full of oil tanker cars derailed and burned about a mile and half east of here. ... For those concerned that these countless...

A key hearing to determine whether the state Public Utilities Commission will allow construction of the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline to move forward through South Dakota won’t be held next week, the commission voted on Monday. The regulatory body met in Pierre and voted 3-0 to delay final arguments to ensure adequate time for parties to examine documents involved in the case, and the hearing will likely be held later this summer. The state initially authorized TransCanada Corp. to construct the Keystone XL pipeline project in 2010, but state rules dictate permits must be re-authorized if the construction of the...

US Secretary of State John Kerry assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, and immediately made it clear that despite worrisome Russian military moves in the Arctic, the US would not challenge them. Washington Examiner: >>>>In assuming the leadership role, Kerry laid out a robust agenda to face the threat of climate change in the Arctic, which he says is being affected by global warming more than anywhere else in the world. But when faced with questions over whether the U.S. will use its new leadership position to address threats posed by Russia, Kerry said no. Kerry said the idea...

After the Senate gave approval to its budget plan early Friday morning, Sens. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, got a version of their energy efficiency legislation passed by voice vote. The measure, passed when only Mr. Portman and Ms. Shaheen were on the floor, includes provisions exempting certain water heaters from pending Department of Energy regulations, and requires federal agencies to develop an implementation strategy for employing more energy-efficient technology, among other items. Mr. Portman said the bill has garnered widespread support and is part of an energy plan for the country “that can help...

(Reuters) - The largest U.S. federation of labor unions said on Wednesday it is freezing contributions to federal candidates in next year's elections as it waits to see the outcome of key trade votes. The AFL-CIO said in a statement defeating legislation to streamline the passage of trade deals through Congress was a top priority.

Demanding Hillary Clinton’s E-Mail — Now The Canadian company TransCanada is hoping to win State Department approval of construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry “oil sands” oil to the Gulf Coast for refining. To this end, it has spent $310,000 this year lobbying in Washington for the cause. Its principal lobbyist is a man named Paul Elliott. Remember him? He was a deputy director of Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign three years ago. Environmental and ethics groups are crying foul. Last year they filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act for any correspondence between the new...

As expected, President Barack Obama vetoed legislation from Congress that would have approved the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, rejecting the creation of thousands of jobs in the process. However, it did not end the six-year saga for building the 1,179-mile pipeline that would deliver 830,000 barrels of oil per day of Canadian and American crude oil to U.S. refineries. The fight will go on, even though Congress was unable to override the president’s veto. Fortunately, President Obama never closed the door. As noted in his message to the Senate, there remains an ongoing National Interest Determination (NID) process...

The U.S. Senate voted down a key vote to override a White House veto on a bill to approve the contentious Keystone XL pipeline, which the GOP sees a key to job creation and maintaining a strong U.S. infrastructure. The vote on override a presidential veto failed 62-37. The Senate had passed the bill 62-36 in January.But last month President Obama vetoed the measure. Republicans have said that if they couldn't override Obama's veto, they plan to wrap legislation green-lighting the 1,700-mile pipeline into a spending measure or broader bill, such as the federal highway bill. But Democrats who oppose...

Kinder Morgan (KMI -0.6%) wants to drill through Burnaby Mountain in British Columbia to reach an oil-loading ship terminal, but WSJ reports that it is facing more challenges than the mountain itself, as it also is battling resistance from Vancouver officials and protestors opposed to fossil fuel development. Burnaby Mountain has become a symbolic battlefield in a much larger debate about energy resources in North America, opponents and supporters of the pipeline plan say. Canadian oil producers are counting on KMI’s $4.3B proposal to triple the capacity of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline, which connects Alberta’s oil sands to a...

The Senate upheld President Obama’s first veto of the new Congress on Wednesday, dooming for the foreseeable future any chance of constructing the Keystone XL pipeline that would bring oil from Canada to the U.S. The vote was seen as a key early test of Democrats’ willingness to defend their lame-duck party leader, and Mr. Obama passed that test easily, with the Senate falling four shy of the two-thirds supermajority needed to overturn the veto. “This is going to come back,” said Sen. Joe Manchin III, a West Virginia Democrat who did break with Mr. Obama and said eventually the...

Harry Reid is taking unprecedented steps to block Senate Republicans, even though his actions will result in nothing but procedural delay. In another example of Democrats playing the role of obstructionists, Harry Reid will force the Senate to go through procedural hurdles to delay Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from bringing up the president’s Keystone XL veto for an override vote. Last week, President Obama vetoed the popular bipartisan Keystone XL Pipeline bill passed by the Senate. This week, the Senate is planning a vote to override the president’s veto. Democrats, led by Minority Leader Harry Reid, are set to revoke...

The Keystone XL pipeline got an emphatic endorsement Monday from a powerful backer of President Barack Obama who questioned the handling of the file. To billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the delay is a thumbing of the nose at Canada. "I would have passed Keystone," Buffett said in an interview with CNBC. "I think that we have an enormous interest in working with Canada, as they have in working with us. That oil is going to get sold. If we make it more difficult for them, who knows how they'll feel about making things more difficult for us someday." Because Buffett...

President Obama earned a double-barreled rebuke Monday from The Washington Post's fact-checker, for repeating a faulty claim that the Keystone XL pipeline "bypasses" the U.S. -- and for saying it would only carry "Canadian oil." The president made the claims in an interview last week with WDAY of Fargo, N.D. Obama continued to downplay the impact of the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline, just days after vetoing a bipartisan-backed bill that would approve the construction project. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has teed up a vote to override that veto later this week. In the local interview, Obama said: "I've already...

In 2014, the World Bank Group committed $5 billion in new technical and financial support for energy projects in six African countries, including Kenya, which have partnered with US president Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative. Among the projects funded, is the world's longest heated pipeline, which will bring newly discovered Ugandan oil fields to market. The Japanese conglomerate, Toyota, is the major contractor. Much of the oil, is committed to Asian markets, like China. On February 24, 2015 President Barack Obama, vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline, which would be a big boost to mid American and Canadian oil production. When...

Legislation approving the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline has finally reached the presidentÂ’s desk. But donÂ’t celebrate just yet. In a joint op-ed published today in the pages of USA Today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are urging Americans to begin tempering their hopes and expectations by accepting the inevitable: Tuesday, as promised, the new Congress is sending the White House legislation that would approve the Keystone XL pipeline. This project will support tens of thousands of American jobs. It will bolster the nation's infrastructure and energy security. And it enjoys a broad base...

U.S. President Barack Obama made good Tuesday on his threat to veto a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, maintaining under his full control the final decision on the Canadian project’s future. His office downplayed the gesture, only the third veto of his presidency. There was to be no “drama or fanfare around it,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. It’s “certainly possible” that Obama will approve the pipeline once a State Department review of the project is completed, he added, though he gave no deadline for a decision. Yet the move is another slap in the face...

President Barack Obama vetoed the Republicans’ Keystone XL pipeline bill Tuesday, rejecting Congress’ attempt to take the project’s fate out of his hands — and leaving the GOP prepared to attempt an override vote that will most likely fail.Obama’s veto message was delivered within hours of the legislation arriving on his desk. The White House had previously criticized lawmakers for trying to strip the executive branch’s authority over cross-border energy projects like the $8 billion Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline. Story Continued Below “I’m not shocked obviously,” Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said even before the widely expected...

Nearly two weeks after Congress approved the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama has officially vetoed the bill calling for its construction. The decision follows a clear statement from the White House last month saying the president would not sign the bill into law if Congress, currently controlled by Republican lawmakers, passed it.

The largest U.S. refinery strike in 35 years entered its fourth week as workers at 12 refineries accounting for one-fifth of national production capacity were walking picket lines as of 12 a.m. CST on Sunday, according to union officials. A total of 6,550 members of the United Steelworkers union at 15 plants, including the 12 refineries, are involved in the work stoppage that began on Feb. 1 when talks for a new three-year contract between the USW and lead oil company negotiator Shell Oil Co stopped.... After the latest breakdown between the two sides, Steelworkers leaders targeted Shell, which is...