The White House announced on Tuesday that President Barack Obama would veto legislation approving construction of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline.With Republicans now in charge of the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said a pipeline bill will be among the first issues voted on in the new session that began on Tuesday.  “I applaud the president for standing up to Republicans trying to ram through Congress a bill to let a Canadian oil company ship some of the dirtiest oil on the planet across the United States on its way to overseas markets,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, a member of both the energy and environment committees.

“Climate change is real. It is caused by human activities. It already is causing devastating problems and if we don’t transform our energy system those problems will become much worse in years to come. Our country must lead the world in combating the planetary crisis of global warming. We must not reject science and set a terrible example by encouraging the drilling of oil that creates more carbon emissions than conventional oil and poses the risk of extremely damaging oil spills.

“If we are serious about protecting the planet and improving our economy, we must focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy, not a continued dependence on fossil fuels,” Sanders said.