Kaine speaks against Keystone pipeline

The Keystone XL pipeline wouldn't go anywhere near Virginia, but Virginia -- especially Hampton Roads -- has a big stake in it, Sen. Tim Kaine just told the U.S. Senate, outlining his reasons for opposing the project to pipe oil from Canadian tar sands deposits south.

He told his fellow Senators about Hampton Roads' concerns about rising sea levels. He said the state's farm, forestry and tourism sectors would all be hurt by climate change.

"So those who want to duck the question of climate change or challenge the scientific evidence, I say to them come to Virginia with me and talk to people whose lives are being seriously affected today," Kaine said.

Because of those concerns, Kaine said it is vital for U.S. policy to continue to promote moving to cleaner -- less carbon-generating -- energy. He noted that Virginia electric customers have dug deep to do so, financing the nuclear plants that supply 40 percent of our energy, and that as governor he helped push moves to switch coal-burning power plants to cleaner technology.

But the Keystone pipeline would tap a much dirtier source, and would cancel out gains like those Virginia has made because that oil generates more carbon.

"After all we have done to be cleaner tomorrow than today why would we embrace a technology that’s dirtier?" he said.

Kaine said it is not the end of the world, either for the enviroment or for American energy supplies if the Keystone lives or dies in today's Senate vote.

What matters, he said, is that the vote "sends a message …. we can either send a message of cleaner tomorrow than today or send a message that anything goes."

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