The Kochs Are Already Getting What They Paid for in Congress: What the Keystone debate is really about

[flpoljunkie]

Ask progressives what the last three weeks of Senate debate on a Keystone XL bill was really about, and they might mention the Koch brothers. “The Republican's Keystone XL obsession is about one thing and one thing only—a direct payback to Big Oil, specifically to the Koch brothers,” Credo’s Senior Campaign Manager Elijah Zarlin said in response to the Senate passing a Keystone XL bill, 62-36, on Thursday.

It's not just a talking point. Just one month into the new Congress, and already the Kochs' fossil fuel interests—which include oil pipelines and refineries—have neatly aligned with Republican priorities. The Koch network's campaign for and against Keystone amendments not only offers a preview of future energy battles, but demonstrate their difficult-to-quantify political influence.

In January, three conservative groups—Heritage Action, American Energy Alliance (AEA), and Americans for Prosperity (AFP)—combined for a total of seven key vote alerts on amendments that would count in their congressional scorecards. The alerts serve as a warning: If a senator votes against the group's interest, he or she risks future attacks from the right. All three groups are tied to the Kochs: AFP is considered the brothers' "main political arm," and they have contributed to Heritage and AEA.

The groups helped defeat an amendment from Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat, that would have reinstated the wind production tax credit for five years. Heitkamp couldn't even scrape together a majority of senators for what historically has been a popular, bipartisan policy. Wind energy happens to be big in red states, so it has the support from Republicans like Iowa's Chuck Grassley, but it has long been a target for conservative, fossil-fuel-aligned groups. AEA, AFP, and Heritage all recommended a "no" vote on the amendment, in line with the Koch network's years-long campaign to eliminate renewable tax credits (while oil's tax breaks remain politically untouchable).

more...

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120922/keystone-xl-senate-bill-amendments-influenced-koch-brothers

[polly7]

1. From start to finish ........ their greedy fingers are in it all.

"Harper is right: Foreign radicals are after the oil sands"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/harper-is-right-foreign-radicals-are-after-the-oil-sands/article4209920/


"Koch Brothers' Activism Protects Their 50 Years in Canadian Heavy Oils'

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/idUS427145980520120510


"Koch Brothers Are The Largest Foreign Lease Holder of Canadian Oil Sands"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101692388

[flpoljunkie]

2. Thanks for the links!

[handmade34]

3. best Congress Money can Buy...

These sources reveal that Koch Industries has touched virtually every aspect of the tar sands industry since the company established a toehold in Canada more than 50 years ago. It has been involved in mining bitumen, the hydrocarbon resin found in the oil sands; in pipeline systems to collect and transport Canadian crude; in exporting the heavy oils to the U.S.; in refining the sulfurous, low-grade feedstock; and in the subsequent distribution and sale of a variety of finished products, from jet fuel to asphalt. The company has also created or collaborated with other companies that have become leading players in the development of Alberta's oil resources.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/idUS427145980520120510

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924

(thehill.com)

Koch Industries is biggest leaseholder in Canada oil sands

Koch’s leases in the oil-sands region are “closer to 2 million.” (acres)...Even without counting possible acreage acquired through brokers or private affiliates, it is clear that Koch Industries through its wholly owned subsidiaries ranks as the largest leaseholder among U.S. or non-Canadian firms and no lower than the third-largest overall

WASHINGTON, D.C. — You might expect the biggest foreign lease owner in Canada's oil sands, or tar sands, to be one of the international oil giants, like Exxon Mobil or Royal Dutch Shell. But that isn't the case. The biggest non-Canadian lease holder in the northern Alberta oil sands is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, the privately-owned cornerstone of the fortune of conservative Koch brothers Charles and David.
(washingtonpost.com)

[Pakid]

4. Time to take the Koch's out

and roll them in their tar sand oil and then feather them. Like they did to bums like this back in the good old days LOL

[Madmiddle]

6. saying someting like that

Will get you booted for talking about treasonous scum.

[blkmusclmachine]

5. Washington DC: "The Kochs own the place."

[libodem]

7. .

[davidpdx]

8. I'm surprised the two corpses weren't sitting up in the Senate galley during the vote

counting how much money they thought they were going to make. They are just so fucking obvious it wouldn't even matter.