According to a Wall Street Journal article, 11 Democratic Senators have sent President Obama a letter urging him to approve the construction of the Keystone pipeline, an issue that most Republicans (and Coloradans, for that matter) support. Contained in the letter is a deadline for Obama to make a decision – by the end of May. Tick-tock, tick-tock.
While embattled Senators like Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Mark Warner of Virginia, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska all signed on to the letter, our fair Democratic Senators from Colorado, Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, felt no need. The Journal‘s commentary on Udall and Bennet:
Notably absent from the letter are Colorado’s two Democratic senators: Mark Udall, who is up for reelection this year, and Michael Bennet, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and voted yes on a symbolic measure last year that was supportive of the project (though it didn’t technically force approval). A spokesman for Mr. Bennet’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment, and Mr. Udall’s spokesman reiterated that he supports the administration’s process.
Udall is in a tough spot on this one. Polling found that votes are less likely to back Udall if Keystone is rejected; however, Udall is BFF with Tom Steyer, one of Keystone’s largest opponents and potentially major funder of his campaign. While families in Colorado support this measure, it looks like Udall is supporting Steyer.