Bernie Sanders says he opposes Bakken oil pipeline

Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, is the first presidential candidate to oppose the proposed Bakken oil pipeline, which would transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily through 18 Iowa counties.

His comments Tuesday came as the Iowa Utilities Board plans to begin a series of hearings on Thursday that will lead to a decision whether to permit the pipeline project to proceed. The pipeline would begin in North Dakota and end at a distribution center in Illinois.

"The major global crisis facing our planet today is climate change," Sanders said in a prepared statement. "The vast majority of scientists tell us that climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and it is already causing devastating problems. They say that if we do not aggressively transition our energy system away from fossil fuels toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy, the planet we leave our children will be a much less habitable place."

Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican candidate for president, recently told a group of Iowa farmers he is not against the Bakken pipeline, but he believes oil companies need to negotiate with landowners without the threat of eminent domain hanging over the transaction.

Sanders noted that he has been a longtime foe of the Keystone XL pipeline, which has been rejected by President Barack Obama. He also said he has introduced legislation in the Senate that calls for a tax on carbon pollution. In addition, he has co-sponsored legislation which prevents the government from leasing federal lands in the future for fossil fuel excavation.

"I’m opposed to the construction of the Bakken crude oil pipeline because as a nation, our job is to break our addiction to fossil fuels, and not increase our dependence on oil, coal, and other carbon pollution sources," Sanders said.