Clinton pressed to take stand on Keystone

Progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org is pressuring Hillary Clinton to take a position against the Keystone XL pipeline.

In a statement released on Thursday, Anna Galland, the group’s executive director, called on the former secretary of State to oppose the $8 billion oil sands project.

“Hillary Clinton’s refusal to take a position raises the possibility that she is worse on climate change than 80 percent of the incoming Senate’s Democratic caucus,” Galland said.

{mosads}Clinton, who is considered the Democratic front-runner for the 2016 presidential nomination, has remained mum on the pipeline, claiming she cannot take a side due to her involvement in the federal review process of Keystone when she was at the State Department.

“If she’s considering a run for President and wants the support of the party’s base, Hillary Clinton should clarify that she opposes this dirty and dangerous pipeline,” Galland added.

MoveOn.org is also circulating a petition calling on Clinton to oppose the pipeline and pressure President Obama to reject its permit, which is currently in limbo at the State Department.

The call from MoveOn.org comes on the heels of a high stakes battle in the Senate to pass legislation that would approve construction of Keystone outright.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who led the effort, fell one vote short of the 60 needed for final passage to send the bill to the president’s desk.