Colorado Democrat Sen. Mark Udall—who faces steep competition in his 2014 bid for re-election—avoided taking a position on Keystone XL for months. Instead, Udall chose to perform a dance that avoided provoking the anger of voters on one hand and billionaire turned extreme environmental activist Tom Steyer on the other. Yesterday evening, Udall was forced to stop his dance and take a position. The Washington Examiner,
“Conservative groups tried pressuring Udall, mired in a tight re-election contest with GOP challenger and pipeline backer Rep. Cory Gardner, into taking a stance on Keystone XL for months. He did so Wednesday, joining nine other Democrats to oppose a bill mandating Keystone XL’s construction, which passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, 12-10…
“Udall appears to be betting that Colorado’s transition from its red-leaning tendencies to a more purple color in recent elections will continue. He gave full-throated backing to a proposed EPA rule limiting carbon emissions from existing power plants, billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer’s NextGen Climate Action PAC is spending money in Colorado to help defeat Gardner.”