Read today’s news from around the state and country. Each day in the Roundup we cover politics, always with a side of bold humor. We think politics should be fun, informative and encourage us all to take action.
August 16th
Nebraska, Texas Att. Gens Missing From Pro-KXL Letter: This may just be a fluke, but Attorney General Jon Bruning’s name is missing from a collective letter of support for the Keystone XL pipeline. Only 21 state attorneys general signed the letter addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry; Nebraska and Texas, two key states on the pipeline route, are absent. The National Wildlife Federation opined this is a sign of shriveling support for the project and cites the letter for ambiguous job claims as well as no comment for what the project will do to the environment, which you’ll remember is kind of a key thing for Obama when figuring out what do with the KXL.
Whiteclay’s Career As America’s Biggest Liquor Racket Ends: A proposition to legalize and regulate alcohol sales in Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota has passed. The move allows the First Nations community control over the flow of alcohol into and around their community — where an estimated eight in every 10 households are impacted by alcohol abuse. It would also effectively shut down Whiteclay, Neb., which has created quite a livelihood for itself selling alcohol to the reservation. Administration specifics are being hammered out. Read more here.
Oil Additives Suspected In Quebec Rail Disaster: The runaway train loaded with oil that killed 47 in a fiery explosion last month in Quebec should not have ignited. Bloomberg’s investigative team has uncovered evidence that the oil contained other contaminants to make the normally inert crude volatile. Why this matters to us: while oil-by-rail has been repeatedly put forth as a viable alternative to the KXL, one can only reasonably expect bad shipments like this — and their resulting accidents — to become more common. Three major energy companies have filed appeals with federal authorities to deny contaminated oil. Read more here.
August 15th
MSNBC Airs Climate Change Discussion: