Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle

WASHINGTON (AP) — The long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline cleared a major hurdle toward approval Friday, a serious blow to environmentalists’ hopes that President Barack Obama will block the controversial project running more than 1,000 miles from Canada through the heart of the U.S.

The State Department reported no major environmental objections to the proposed $ 7 billion pipeline, which has become a symbol of the political debate over climate change. Republicans and some oil- and gas-producing states in the U.S. — as well as Canada’s minister of natural resources — cheered the report, but it further rankled environmentalists already at odds with Obama and his energy policy.

The report stops short of recommending approval of the pipeline, but the review gives Obama new support if he chooses to endorse it in spite of opposition from many Democrats and environmental groups. Foes say the pipeline would carry “dirty oil” that contributes to global warming, and they also express concern about possible spills.

Pushing back on the notion that the pipeline is now headed for speedy approval, the White House said the report isn’t the final step and noted that the report includes “a range of estimates of the project’s climate impacts.” Only after various U.S. agencies and the public have a chance to weigh the report and other data will a decision be made, said White House spokesman Matt Lehrich.

“The president has clearly stated that the project will be in the national interest only if it does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution,” Lehrich said.

Republicans and business and labor groups have urged Obama to approve the pipeline to create thousands of jobs and move further toward North American energy independence. The pipeline is also strongly supported by Democrats in oil and gas-producing states, including Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. All face re-election this year and could be politically damaged by rejection of the pipeline. Republican Mitt Romney carried all three states in the 2012 presidential election.

The 1,179-mile pipeline would travel through the heart of the United States, carrying oil derived from tar sands in western Canada to a hub in Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. It would cross Montana and South Dakota before reaching Nebraska. An existing spur runs through Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas.

Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed regardless of U.S. action on the pipeline, the report said,

The report says oil derived from tar sands in Alberta generates about 17 percent more greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming than traditional crude. But the report makes clear that other methods of transporting the oil — including rail, trucks and barges — would release more greenhouse gases than the pipeline.

U.S. and Canadian accident investigators warned last week about the dangers of oil trains that transport crude oil from North Dakota and other states to refineries in the U.S. and Canada. The officials urged new safety rules, cautioning that a major loss of life could result from an accident involving the increasing use of trains to transport large amounts of crude oil.

An alternative that relies on shipping the oil by rail through the central U.S. to Gulf Coast refineries would generate 28 percent more greenhouse gases than a pipeline, the report said.

State Department approval is needed because the pipeline crosses a U.S. border. Other agencies will have 90 days to comment before Secretary of State John Kerry makes a recommendation to Obama on whether the project is in the national interest. A final decision is not expected before summer.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the report “once again confirms that there is no reason for the White House to continue stalling construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.”

McConnell said: “Mr. President, no more stalling, no more excuses. Please pick up that pen you’ve been talking so much about and make this happen. Americans need these jobs. “

However, a top official at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said the report gives Obama all the information he needs to reject the pipeline.

“Piping the dirtiest oil on the planet through the heart of America would endanger our farms, our communities, our fresh water and our climate,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, the NRDC’s international program director. “That is absolutely not in our national interest.”

The report said the pipeline was likely to have an adverse effect on the endangered American burying beetle, found in South Dakota and Nebraska. But it said that could be offset by a monitoring program and other requirements on the pipeline operator.

In Canada, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver welcomed the report and said officials there “await a timely decision” on the pipeline.

“The choice for the United States is clear: oil supply from a reliable, environmentally responsible friend and neighbor or from unstable sources with similar or higher greenhouse gas emissions and lesser environmental standards,” he said.

The new report comes only days after Obama’s State of the Union address, in which he reiterated his support for an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that embraces a wide range of sources, from oil and natural gas to renewables such as wind and solar power. The remarks were a rebuff to some of his environmental allies who argued that Obama’s support of expanded oil and gas production doesn’t make sense for a president who wants to reduce pollution linked to global warming.

Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline in January 2012, saying he did not have enough time for a fair review before a deadline forced on him by congressional Republicans. That delayed the choice for him until after his re-election.

Obama’s initial rejection went over badly in Canada, which relies on the U.S. for 97 percent of its energy exports. The pipeline is critical to Canada, which needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil sands production

In response, Obama quickly suggested development of an Oklahoma-to-Texas line to alleviate an oil bottleneck at a Cushing, Okla., storage hub. Oil began moving on that segment of the pipeline last week.

The 485-mile southern section of the pipeline operated by Calgary-based TransCanada did not require presidential approval because it does not cross a U.S. border.

TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling said he was pleased at the latest environmental review, the fifth released on the project since 2010. “The conclusions haven’t varied. They are the same as before,” he said.

Environmental groups criticized the State Department for publishing the report before the department’s inspector general released findings of an inquiry into a contractor that worked on the review. Friends of the Earth and other groups say the contractor, Environmental Resources Management, has financial ties to TransCanada.

“We feel confident there are no issues related to this contractor,” said Kerri Ann Jones, an assistant secretary of state who has overseen the Keystone review.

___

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Associated Press

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Top Headlines

Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle

Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle

FILE – In this March 11, 2013, file photo, a sign reading “Stop the Transcanada Pipeline” stands in a field near Bradshaw, Neb. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline will run through this field. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

FILE – In this March 11, 2013, file photo, a sign reading “Stop the Transcanada Pipeline” stands in a field near Bradshaw, Neb. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline will run through this field. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Map shows the Keystone pipeline proposed route; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says the government is encouraged by the outcome of the U.S. State Department’s final environmental impact study on the Keystone X-L pipeline. Oliver urged the Obama administration to make a “timely decision,” noting the United States has been studying the pipeline for five years. He said the latest federal study was the fifth on its environmental impact and said each report has stated that the pipeline would not adversely affect the environment. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

FILE – In this May 24, 2012 file photo, some of about 500 miles worth of coated steel pipe manufactured by Welspun Pipes, Inc., originally for the Keystone oil pipeline, is stored in Little Rock, Ark. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

FILE – In this Dec. 3, 2012 file photo, crews work on construction of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline near County Road 363 and County Road 357, east of Winona, Texas. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/The Tyler Morning Telegraph, Sarah A. Miller)

Buy AP Photo Reprints

WASHINGTON (AP) — The long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline cleared a major hurdle toward approval Friday, a serious blow to environmentalists’ hopes that President Barack Obama will block the controversial project running more than 1,000 miles from Canada through the heart of the U.S.

The State Department reported no major environmental objections to the proposed $ 7 billion pipeline, which has become a symbol of the political debate over climate change. Republicans and some oil- and gas-producing states in the U.S. — as well as Canada’s minister of natural resources — cheered the report, but it further rankled environmentalists already at odds with Obama and his energy policy.

The report stops short of recommending approval of the pipeline, but the review gives Obama new support if he chooses to endorse it in spite of opposition from many Democrats and environmental groups. Foes say the pipeline would carry “dirty oil” that contributes to global warming, and they also express concern about possible spills.

Pushing back on the notion that the pipeline is now headed for speedy approval, the White House said the report isn’t the final step and noted that the report includes “a range of estimates of the project’s climate impacts.” Only after various U.S. agencies and the public have a chance to weigh the report and other data will a decision be made, said White House spokesman Matt Lehrich.

“The president has clearly stated that the project will be in the national interest only if it does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution,” Lehrich said.

Republicans and business and labor groups have urged Obama to approve the pipeline to create thousands of jobs and move further toward North American energy independence. The pipeline is also strongly supported by Democrats in oil and gas-producing states, including Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. All face re-election this year and could be politically damaged by rejection of the pipeline. Republican Mitt Romney carried all three states in the 2012 presidential election.

The 1,179-mile pipeline would travel through the heart of the United States, carrying oil derived from tar sands in western Canada to a hub in Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. It would cross Montana and South Dakota before reaching Nebraska. An existing spur runs through Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas.

Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed regardless of U.S. action on the pipeline, the report said,

The report says oil derived from tar sands in Alberta generates about 17 percent more greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming than traditional crude. But the report makes clear that other methods of transporting the oil — including rail, trucks and barges — would release more greenhouse gases than the pipeline.

U.S. and Canadian accident investigators warned last week about the dangers of oil trains that transport crude oil from North Dakota and other states to refineries in the U.S. and Canada. The officials urged new safety rules, cautioning that a major loss of life could result from an accident involving the increasing use of trains to transport large amounts of crude oil.

An alternative that relies on shipping the oil by rail through the central U.S. to Gulf Coast refineries would generate 28 percent more greenhouse gases than a pipeline, the report said.

State Department approval is needed because the pipeline crosses a U.S. border. Other agencies will have 90 days to comment before Secretary of State John Kerry makes a recommendation to Obama on whether the project is in the national interest. A final decision is not expected before summer.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the report “once again confirms that there is no reason for the White House to continue stalling construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.”

McConnell said: “Mr. President, no more stalling, no more excuses. Please pick up that pen you’ve been talking so much about and make this happen. Americans need these jobs. “

However, a top official at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said the report gives Obama all the information he needs to reject the pipeline.

“Piping the dirtiest oil on the planet through the heart of America would endanger our farms, our communities, our fresh water and our climate,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, the NRDC’s international program director. “That is absolutely not in our national interest.”

The report said the pipeline was likely to have an adverse effect on the endangered American burying beetle, found in South Dakota and Nebraska. But it said that could be offset by a monitoring program and other requirements on the pipeline operator.

In Canada, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver welcomed the report and said officials there “await a timely decision” on the pipeline.

“The choice for the United States is clear: oil supply from a reliable, environmentally responsible friend and neighbor or from unstable sources with similar or higher greenhouse gas emissions and lesser environmental standards,” he said.

The new report comes only days after Obama’s State of the Union address, in which he reiterated his support for an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that embraces a wide range of sources, from oil and natural gas to renewables such as wind and solar power. The remarks were a rebuff to some of his environmental allies who argued that Obama’s support of expanded oil and gas production doesn’t make sense for a president who wants to reduce pollution linked to global warming.

Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline in January 2012, saying he did not have enough time for a fair review before a deadline forced on him by congressional Republicans. That delayed the choice for him until after his re-election.

Obama’s initial rejection went over badly in Canada, which relies on the U.S. for 97 percent of its energy exports. The pipeline is critical to Canada, which needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil sands production

In response, Obama quickly suggested development of an Oklahoma-to-Texas line to alleviate an oil bottleneck at a Cushing, Okla., storage hub. Oil began moving on that segment of the pipeline last week.

The 485-mile southern section of the pipeline operated by Calgary-based TransCanada did not require presidential approval because it does not cross a U.S. border.

TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling said he was pleased at the latest environmental review, the fifth released on the project since 2010. “The conclusions haven’t varied. They are the same as before,” he said.

Environmental groups criticized the State Department for publishing the report before the department’s inspector general released findings of an inquiry into a contractor that worked on the review. Friends of the Earth and other groups say the contractor, Environmental Resources Management, has financial ties to TransCanada.

“We feel confident there are no issues related to this contractor,” said Kerri Ann Jones, an assistant secretary of state who has overseen the Keystone review.

___

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Associated Press

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle

Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle

FILE – In this March 11, 2013, file photo, a sign reading “Stop the Transcanada Pipeline” stands in a field near Bradshaw, Neb. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline will run through this field. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

FILE – In this March 11, 2013, file photo, a sign reading “Stop the Transcanada Pipeline” stands in a field near Bradshaw, Neb. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline will run through this field. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Map shows the Keystone pipeline proposed route; 2c x 4 inches; 96.3 mm x 101 mm;

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says the government is encouraged by the outcome of the U.S. State Department’s final environmental impact study on the Keystone X-L pipeline. Oliver urged the Obama administration to make a “timely decision,” noting the United States has been studying the pipeline for five years. He said the latest federal study was the fifth on its environmental impact and said each report has stated that the pipeline would not adversely affect the environment. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

FILE – In this May 24, 2012 file photo, some of about 500 miles worth of coated steel pipe manufactured by Welspun Pipes, Inc., originally for the Keystone oil pipeline, is stored in Little Rock, Ark. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

FILE – In this Dec. 3, 2012 file photo, crews work on construction of the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline near County Road 363 and County Road 357, east of Winona, Texas. In a move that disappointed environmental groups and cheered the oil industry, the Obama administration on Jan. 31, 2014, said it had no major environmental objections to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. (AP Photo/The Tyler Morning Telegraph, Sarah A. Miller)

Buy AP Photo Reprints

WASHINGTON (AP) — The long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline cleared a major hurdle toward approval Friday, a serious blow to environmentalists’ hopes that President Barack Obama will block the controversial project running more than 1,000 miles from Canada through the heart of the U.S.

The State Department reported no major environmental objections to the proposed $ 7 billion pipeline, which has become a symbol of the political debate over climate change. Republicans and some oil- and gas-producing states in the U.S. — as well as Canada’s minister of natural resources — cheered the report, but it further rankled environmentalists already at odds with Obama and his energy policy.

The report stops short of recommending approval of the pipeline, but the review gives Obama new support if he chooses to endorse it in spite of opposition from many Democrats and environmental groups. Foes say the pipeline would carry “dirty oil” that contributes to global warming, and they also express concern about possible spills.

Pushing back on the notion that the pipeline is now headed for speedy approval, the White House said the report isn’t the final step and noted that the report includes “a range of estimates of the project’s climate impacts.” Only after various U.S. agencies and the public have a chance to weigh the report and other data will a decision be made, said White House spokesman Matt Lehrich.

“The president has clearly stated that the project will be in the national interest only if it does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution,” Lehrich said.

Republicans and business and labor groups have urged Obama to approve the pipeline to create thousands of jobs and move further toward North American energy independence. The pipeline is also strongly supported by Democrats in oil and gas-producing states, including Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. All face re-election this year and could be politically damaged by rejection of the pipeline. Republican Mitt Romney carried all three states in the 2012 presidential election.

The 1,179-mile pipeline would travel through the heart of the United States, carrying oil derived from tar sands in western Canada to a hub in Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. It would cross Montana and South Dakota before reaching Nebraska. An existing spur runs through Kansas and Oklahoma to Texas.

Canadian tar sands are likely to be developed regardless of U.S. action on the pipeline, the report said,

The report says oil derived from tar sands in Alberta generates about 17 percent more greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming than traditional crude. But the report makes clear that other methods of transporting the oil — including rail, trucks and barges — would release more greenhouse gases than the pipeline.

U.S. and Canadian accident investigators warned last week about the dangers of oil trains that transport crude oil from North Dakota and other states to refineries in the U.S. and Canada. The officials urged new safety rules, cautioning that a major loss of life could result from an accident involving the increasing use of trains to transport large amounts of crude oil.

An alternative that relies on shipping the oil by rail through the central U.S. to Gulf Coast refineries would generate 28 percent more greenhouse gases than a pipeline, the report said.

State Department approval is needed because the pipeline crosses a U.S. border. Other agencies will have 90 days to comment before Secretary of State John Kerry makes a recommendation to Obama on whether the project is in the national interest. A final decision is not expected before summer.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the report “once again confirms that there is no reason for the White House to continue stalling construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.”

McConnell said: “Mr. President, no more stalling, no more excuses. Please pick up that pen you’ve been talking so much about and make this happen. Americans need these jobs. “

However, a top official at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said the report gives Obama all the information he needs to reject the pipeline.

“Piping the dirtiest oil on the planet through the heart of America would endanger our farms, our communities, our fresh water and our climate,” said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, the NRDC’s international program director. “That is absolutely not in our national interest.”

The report said the pipeline was likely to have an adverse effect on the endangered American burying beetle, found in South Dakota and Nebraska. But it said that could be offset by a monitoring program and other requirements on the pipeline operator.

In Canada, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver welcomed the report and said officials there “await a timely decision” on the pipeline.

“The choice for the United States is clear: oil supply from a reliable, environmentally responsible friend and neighbor or from unstable sources with similar or higher greenhouse gas emissions and lesser environmental standards,” he said.

The new report comes only days after Obama’s State of the Union address, in which he reiterated his support for an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that embraces a wide range of sources, from oil and natural gas to renewables such as wind and solar power. The remarks were a rebuff to some of his environmental allies who argued that Obama’s support of expanded oil and gas production doesn’t make sense for a president who wants to reduce pollution linked to global warming.

Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline in January 2012, saying he did not have enough time for a fair review before a deadline forced on him by congressional Republicans. That delayed the choice for him until after his re-election.

Obama’s initial rejection went over badly in Canada, which relies on the U.S. for 97 percent of its energy exports. The pipeline is critical to Canada, which needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil sands production

In response, Obama quickly suggested development of an Oklahoma-to-Texas line to alleviate an oil bottleneck at a Cushing, Okla., storage hub. Oil began moving on that segment of the pipeline last week.

The 485-mile southern section of the pipeline operated by Calgary-based TransCanada did not require presidential approval because it does not cross a U.S. border.

TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling said he was pleased at the latest environmental review, the fifth released on the project since 2010. “The conclusions haven’t varied. They are the same as before,” he said.

Environmental groups criticized the State Department for publishing the report before the department’s inspector general released findings of an inquiry into a contractor that worked on the review. Friends of the Earth and other groups say the contractor, Environmental Resources Management, has financial ties to TransCanada.

“We feel confident there are no issues related to this contractor,” said Kerri Ann Jones, an assistant secretary of state who has overseen the Keystone review.

___

Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Matthew Daly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewDalyWDC

Associated Press

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

Keystone XL oil pipeline clears significant hurdle

Congress Clears Apache Sale to Iraq

John Hudson
thecable.foreignpolicy.com
January 27, 2014

The Senate has paved the way for Baghdad to buy dozens of powerful Apache helicopters, handing a major victory to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as he battles an emboldened al-Qaeda insurgency.

The weapons sale, which the Obama administration strongly supports, had been held up by Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and other powerful lawmakers because of concerns that Maliki could use the equipment for an internal crackdown on Iraq’s various minority communities. Menendez’s committee has now agreed to the sale because the State Department adequately addressed his concerns, according to a Senate aide familiar with the matter.

The move clears the way for Baghdad to lease six Apache attack helicopters and buy 24 more, and includes training, logistical support and equipment. The total price tag is estimated at more than $ 6.2 billion.

Read more

This article was posted: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 1:22 pm

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Congress Clears Apache Sale to Iraq

Walmart EBT Card Food Stamps Glitch Clears Stores" Shelves

Shoppers cleared the shelves at two Louisiana Walmart stores over the weekend when a glitch in the government’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) system allowed welfare recipients to use their debit-style food stamps cards to buy unlimited goods without the usual spending cap.

Managers at Walmart stores in Mansfield and Springhill, La., were forced to call police Saturday after people realized the glitch in the EBT system and rushed to load up carts with as many items as they could carry, CBS affiliate KSLA reported.

“It was worse than any black Friday,” Springhill Police Chief Will Lynd said of the frenzied shopping scene.

Editor’s Note: ObamaCare Is Here. Are You Prepared?

The glitch, which was reportedly caused during a routine maintenance test by EBT card servicer Xerox Corp., made it so cashiers could not view card limits, allowing customers the ability to spend limitlessly.

“We did make the decision to continue to accept EBT cards during the outage so that they could get food for their families,” Walmart representative Kayla Whaling told KSLA. She claimed that Walmart was “fully engaged and monitoring the situation and transactions during the outage.”

The system began working properly around 9 p.m. Saturday, leading people to abandon their overflowing shopping carts in the aisles.

When the system got back online, one woman had just rung up a $ 700 bill at the register and was turned away because she only had a balance of $ 0.49 on her card, Lynd said.

The same EBT card glitch caused just the opposite problem for shoppers in 17 other states over the weekend when their cards wouldn’t go through, according to USA Today.

U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Courtney Rowe emphasized that the outage was not related to the federal government shutdown.

Editor’s Note: Do You Support Obamacare? Vote in Urgent National Poll

Related stories:

As Washington Debates, Some U.S. States Proceed With Food Stamps Cut

Spending Rises Under GOP Food Stamp ‘Cuts’: Ira Stoll

U.S. House Backs End to Food Stamps for 3.8 Million in 2014  

© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Newsmax – America

Walmart EBT Card Food Stamps Glitch Clears Stores" Shelves

Lead Gardasil developer clears conscience, admits vaccine is useless and deadly

(NaturalNews) Did you know that one of the lead researchers involved with developing the two available vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV), Gardasil (Merck & Co.) and Cervarix (GlaxoSmithKline), admitted back in 2009 that the jabs are essentially useless and more dangerous than the very conditions they are hailed as preventing and treating?

Before the vaccine industry apparently convinced her to change her story — you can read more about the saga here — Dr. Diane Harper, a key developer of Gardasil, is on the record as having cleared her conscience about this fraudulent vaccine, which has been shown to be both ineffective and dangerous.

One particular quote, which was pulled up using the Way Back Machine, reveals both Gardasil and Cervarix do nothing to prevent cervical cancer, which is their primary claim to fame. A 2009 article published by CBS News, in fact, which is still available online, reveals the truth about these snake oil vaccines.

“The rate of serious adverse events (from Gardasil) is on par with the death rate of cervical cancer,” admitted Dr. Harper at that time, refuting a pro-Gardasil piece published by Slate. “Gardasil has been associated with at least as many serious adverse events as there are deaths from cervical cancer developing each year.”

Dr. Harper went on to admit that deaths from Gardasil have been underreported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has given the illusion that the vaccine is somehow safe. Beyond this, Dr. Harper dropped a bomb when she told reporters that the public health benefit of getting vaccinated with Gardasil “is nothing,” adding that the vaccine has led to “no reduction in cervical cancers.”

This admission by Dr. Harper rocked the conventional medical system, which has repeatedly lied to the public with claims that getting vaccinated for HPV will prevent the most common forms of cervical cancer. Because of these lies, literally millions of young girls and now boys, some as young as nine years old, have received the deadly jab since it was first introduced back in 2006.

Beyond this, Dr. Harper is on the record as having told attendees of the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination back in 2009 that the vast majority of HPV infections resolve themselves on their own within a year, and nearly all of them within two years. She also admitted that an extremely small number of people experience symptoms from infection.

But not long after clearing her conscience on this important issue so that she could sleep at night, Dr. Harper basically retracted all of her statements, claiming that media reports citing them were made up. What? The vaccine industry or some other power apparently got to Dr. Harper and convinced her to change her story — either that or she is schizophrenic.

In any case, the truth about Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix has been revealed, and still nothing has been done to pull the vaccine from the market. States like California and Michigan are actually administering these two vaccines to some children without parental consent, and many other states are “mandating” it for students who enroll in public school.

Meanwhile, there are many natural, homeopathic-based remedies that actually work to prevent diseases like HPV that are being ignored by the medical system.

To learn more about the dangers of HPV vaccines, be sure to check out SaneVax, Inc.:
http://sanevax.org/

You can also keep up-to-date with vaccine news you are likely not hearing about from the mainstream media by visiting:
http://vactruth.com/

Sources for this article include:

http://southweb.org

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

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Lead Gardasil developer clears conscience, admits vaccine is useless and deadly

Senate clears way for Perez confirmation as labor chief

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. December 21, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Benjamin Myers

Reuters: Politics

Senate clears way for Perez confirmation as labor chief

Immigration bill clears first early Senate hurdle

Hours before the Senate’s first vote on bipartisan immigration legislation, President Barack Obama on Tuesday morning will encourage lawmakers to support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Speaking in the White House East Room, Obama will once again praise the bipartisan efforts of the so-called Senate “Gang of Eight” and reiterate his support for legislation “to fix our broken immigration system,” according to a White House official.

The Senate votes Tuesday afternoon on procedural measures to take up the legislation produced by the Gang of Eight.

Supporters scheduled to appear with Obama in the White House East Room on Tuesday morning included local law enforcement officials, lawmakers from Texas and California, union officials such as AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka, and DREAMers — undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, called on his colleagues to advance the new proposal.

“The Gang of Eight has done its work. Now it’s time for the Gang of 100 to do its work — for the entire Senate to have its say on this issue, and see if we can do something to improve the status quo. At the risk of stating the obvious, this bill has serious flaws,” he said.

Congress News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Immigration bill clears first early Senate hurdle