Sen. Mark Udall (D., Colo.) will oppose the Keystone XL pipeline again this week if the Senate votes to bypass the administration to approve the project, according to his campaign spokesman.
Fox 31 KDVR in Denver reports:
Colorado Sen. Mark Udall is likely to vote against a possible amendment in the Senate this week that seeks to force the construction of the controversial KeystoneXL pipeline to transport oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
"Sen. Udall has been eminently clear that Congress should not inject politics into the administration’s ongoing review process," said Mike Saccone, Udall’s spokesman. "That’s why he voted against Democratic and Republican amendments that attempted to dictate a result on the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
"Any votes this week on the pipeline wouldn’t be any different."
Sixty-six percent of Coloradans support building the Keystone pipeline, according to a February poll.
Udall’s Republican challenger Cory Gardner has blasted the Democrat for his unwillingness to support the project, which would create tens of thousands of jobs.
"Senator Udall's refusal to support the creation of tens of thousands of jobs is exactly why Coloradans are calling for new leadership in the U.S. Senate," Gardner said.
Last month, Udall declined to sign onto a letter penned by Senate Democrats urging President Obama to approve Keystone. Udall had attended a fundraiser in February hosted by environmentalist billionaire Tom Steyer, who has pledged to spend $100 million in this year’s midterms.