O’Malley urges Senate to reject Keystone

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), a possible 2016 presidential candidate, urged the Senate to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline, tweeting his opposition on Monday.

O’Malley’s opposition could bolster him with green groups and position him to the left of potential 2016 rival Hillary Clinton.

{mosads}Clinton has declined to take a position on the Keystone pipeline. In June, she cited her tenure as secretary of State, when she had oversight over the approval process for the pipeline, as the reason why she “can’t really comment at great length.”

Environmental groups are strongly opposed to the pipeline, citing its effect on climate change.

The Senate is set to vote on a bill approving the pipeline on Tuesday, and it is expected to be close. The House last week also passed a bill approving the project. A Keystone bill though would still have to get past a potential veto from President Obama.

Obama indicated at a press conference on Sunday that he intends to let the administration’s approval process continue, rather than have his hand forced by the bill out of Congress.

“We’re going to let the process play itself out,” Obama said. “And the determination will be made in the first instance by the secretary of State.  

“But I won’t hide my opinion about this, which is that one major determinant of whether we should approve a pipeline shipping Canadian oil to world markets, not to the United States, is does it contribute to the greenhouse gases that are causing climate change,” he added.