Today, the Senate will take up 18 amendments to the Keystone XL bill, including at least one proposal that will create thousands - if not hundreds of thousands - of jobs and ease our dependence on foreign oil, not to mention dirty dangerous coal mining and fracked natural gas.
Time to build, America!
I'm talking about Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Ten Million Solar Rooftops," a bill he's introduced in the past and is now attaching as an amendment to the Keystone XL bill, S. 1. His amendment will be heard, along with 17 others, starting at 2:30 p.m. today. The bill would provide 15% rebates to homeowners who go solar until reaching a 10-million-home mark. Read it and the other Democratic amendments to be taken up today here (PDF).
The Keystone XL bill is sure to be vetoed by President Obama. But the amendments offered by Democrats are putting Republicans on record in awkward ways sure to be revisited during the 2016 campaign season. Don't accept that climate change is significantly caused by humans? (Only 5 Republicans voted yes on the Brian Schatz amendment.) Don't want to disclose who's really benefiting from this project? (A Sheldon Whitehouse amendment comes up today.) Don't want to generate hundreds of thousands of good paying American jobs?
Tweet at Republicans using their own hashtag:
#TimeToBuild - Support @SenSanders 10 Million Solar Rooftops!
.@SenSanders #KeystoneXL amendment will create hundreds of thousands of good paying American jobs. #TimeToBuild.