Comments (0) Total
Tester: People Want Citizenship, Not Partisanship
State of the Union
Montanans expect Congress to "put citizenship ahead of partisanship" and get Americans back to work, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Tuesday after President Barack Obama called for bipartisanship in safely developing domestic energy and helping middle-class Americans.
Tester said he would continue to focus on creating jobs in the coming year. The Democrat is being challenged by Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, who criticized Obama for postponing the Keystone XL Pipeline project, which would take oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries.
Rehberg said the president and Democrats continue to blame the private sector and see government as a "universal cure."
"They praise massive national infrastructure projects supported by unlimited tax dollars, while blocking private infrastructure projects like the Keystone XL pipeline, which will create thousands of jobs without needing a dime of taxpayer money," Rehberg said.
Earlier this month, Obama rejected plans for the massive oil pipeline that would pass through several states, including Montana, saying there was too little time for a fair review before a looming deadline forced on him by Republicans. The decision did not kill the project but could delay a tough choice for him until after the November elections.
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, in response to the president's speech Tuesday, also called for the project's approval.
"We heard a lot of talk about energy when what we need is action — action to approve the Keystone pipeline," the Democrat said. "Thousands of jobs are at stake over this project, and I'm not going to stop fighting until we get it done for Montana jobs."
Proponents of the pipeline point to the jobs it would create, but some critics are concerned about the effects it could have on the environment.
Obama said in his speech that he has directed his administration to develop a plan for safe extraction of natural gas from shale deposits, which the White House says will support more than 600,000 jobs.
Tester said he would continue to focus on creating jobs in the coming year. The Democrat is being challenged by Republican U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, who criticized Obama for postponing the Keystone XL Pipeline project, which would take oil from Canada to Gulf Coast refineries.
Rehberg said the president and Democrats continue to blame the private sector and see government as a "universal cure."
Earlier this month, Obama rejected plans for the massive oil pipeline that would pass through several states, including Montana, saying there was too little time for a fair review before a looming deadline forced on him by Republicans. The decision did not kill the project but could delay a tough choice for him until after the November elections.
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, in response to the president's speech Tuesday, also called for the project's approval.
"We heard a lot of talk about energy when what we need is action — action to approve the Keystone pipeline," the Democrat said. "Thousands of jobs are at stake over this project, and I'm not going to stop fighting until we get it done for Montana jobs."
Proponents of the pipeline point to the jobs it would create, but some critics are concerned about the effects it could have on the environment.
Obama said in his speech that he has directed his administration to develop a plan for safe extraction of natural gas from shale deposits, which the White House says will support more than 600,000 jobs.
Submit a comment now.