BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In the weekly Republican address, GOP Senate candidate Bill Cassidy describes Senate Democrats' rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline as stifling American energy independence.

Cassidy used the nationally-released speech Saturday to take fresh digs at Democratic incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu's failure to get the vote needed for pipeline passage — though he never names Landrieu. Cassidy's name was on the House-passed bill.

He said Louisiana should choose a senator in the Dec. 6 runoff "who will work hard for jobs in Louisiana all the time, not just when their job is on the line."

Energy is a multibillion-dollar industry in Louisiana. Landrieu had hoped a successful Keystone vote would bolster her reputation as a fighter for oil and gas. But environmental opposition and Obama administration criticism blocked the legislation.

 

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