Open the Spigots. Rex Tillerson Confirmed as the Next Secretary of State.
The U.S. Senate voted to confirm ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as the next secretary of state. Tillerson needed a simple majority — 51 senators — for confirmation. The final vote was 56 in favor, 43 against. Three Democrats voted in favor of Tillerson, including Senators Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, and Mark Warner. Angus King, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, also voted in for Tillerson. It was Tillerson's contacts with Russia and strongman Vladimir Putin that raised alarms among some Republicans. Among other things, Tillerson was given the Order of Friendship award by Putin. This is a real setback for the clean-energy movement and a boon for the fossil fuel and dirty energy industry. It sends a real wake-up call to the people who really matter. So wake up!! Alberta's Tar Sands Revisited Most people have heard about the Keystone XL pipeline and the millions of jobs it will create and the many other benefits it will provide humanity. However, most peo