Global Warming: 10 Quotes From Senators on the Heated Debate of the Keystone XL Pipeline

The Republican majority in the U.S. Senate supported the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and some Democrats joined them. However, the continued global warming debate and the President Obama's veto of the Senate's measure to expand the pipeline from Canada southward to Texas and Oklahoma heats up.

Here are 10 quotes from senators on the heated debate of the Keystone XL pipeline:

1. "The president's veto of the bipartisan Keystone bill represents a victory for partisanship and for powerful special interests," said Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader and Republican from Kentucky.

ALERT: Is Global Warming a Hoax? Vote Now

2. "We will continue working on this important infrastructure project,"  vowed Sen. John Hoeven, Republican of North Dakota.

3. McConnell co-wrote an op-ed in USA Today with House Speaker John Boehner, stating, "The allure of appeasing environmental extremists may be too powerful for the president to ignore. But the president is sadly mistaken if he thinks vetoing this bill will end this fight. Far from it. We are just getting started."

4. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was one of the Democrats who supported the Keystone XL:

"How many times have you seen us do something bipartisan," said Sen. Manchin, according to the People's Pundit Daily. "We had nine Democratic senators join us to do that deal. And it was overwhelming. The Canadians gave us everything we wanted."

5. Another Democrat, Sen. Mark R. Warner, stated, "I support construction of the Keystone pipeline. A State Department environmental review found the project will not significantly add to global warming, it will create jobs (though likely not as many as supporters claim), and it will allow the U.S. to increase its energy security."

6. Meanwhile, CBS News reported that Sen. Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, asked, "Why create very few jobs with the dirtiest of energy from tar sands when you can create tens of thousands more clean jobs using wind and solar?"

VOTE NOW: Are You Concerned About Global Warming?

7. Sen. Rand Paul, Republican from Kentucky, has remained a strong proponent of the Keystone XL pipeline. "Rather than create thousands of new jobs, expand America's refining capacity, and strengthen our unique partnership with neighboring Canada, President Obama has elected instead to block any progress on building the Keystone XL, in stark contrast to the 'all-of-the-above' approach to energy production he claims to support," Paul stated on his web page.

8. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat from Nevada, voiced his objections to the pipeline in 2012:

"Personally, I'm not — I'm not one of the conferees — but personally I think Keystone is a program that we're not going, that I am not going to help in any way I can," said Sen. Reid, according to The Hill. "The president feels that way. I do, too."

9. Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, tried to convince environmentalists they should support the pipeline"

"If you're a Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugging Greenpeace activist, you should love the Keystone pipeline," Cruz said, according to ABC News.

10. Cruz went on to point out, "The Canadians are not going to leave the tar sands unmolested. They'll send it to China to be refined there and it will be refined in a much, much dirtier way.

"If your concern is the environment, the last thing you want to do is send that oil to China to be refined there, which will be far more damage to the environment than refining it in the U.S., where it would generate good, high paying jobs."

URGENT: Do You Think Global Warming Is a Hoax? Vote Here Now!

Related Stories:

• Global Warming: 8 Quotes From the President on the Heated Debate of the Keystone XL Pipeline

• Global Warming: 5 Arguments For Building the Keystone XL Pipeline