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Jesse Ventura on Keystone: Stop the Koch Brother's war on renewable energy

To build or not to build? That is the question when it comes to whether the Keystone XL pipeline will be built from Canada to Texas. The debate has become hot and heavy and once again former governor Jesse Ventura has weighted in and is laying the smack down on the greedy Koch Brothers who are pushing for the project's completion.

Greg Norman chats with Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura during the PGA Champion's Clinic on August 13, 2002
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

All week long, Jesse Ventura dubbed his show's theme "Power-Play: Who controls our Energy?" and during the latest episode of "Off the Grid" titled "The War on Renewable Energy," the governor tackled outside money that is pushing for the Keystone XL Pipeline to finish its construction from Canada and ending in Texas. When "Off the Grid" producer Alex Logan asked Ventura is he thought the United States wasn't doing enough, the governor let his feelings be known.

"Oh Absolutely we're not doing enough. You know, all we're looking at doing is building the Keystone pipeline right now which means more of that type of fuel being used. If we don't wean ourselves off burnable fuel and keep pumping this, as well as the natural gas and the methane into our atmosphere, it's not a good thing for people to come after us. I might survive but I'm not so sure about you Alex."

Ventura continued and noted that while moving towards renewable energy is the right way to go, it won't be easy because of the amount of money that big oil is throwing around in Washington.

"The key to this is the economy. How are we going to wean of oil when oil is so powerful and makes the people so much money that they control our politicians? See that's the problem you got with alternative energy, it doesn't make as much money as the energy you got now and money talks bulls**t walks."

Earlier in the week, Ventura spoke with investigative journalist Greg Palast who sounded the alarm on the massive amounts of profit the Koch brothers will make if and when the pipeline is built. Palast notes that “they (the Koch brothers) have to use heavy oil,” not the refined oil in Texas, so the Koch brothers import from Venezuela. Palast continued, stating that the Koch brothers will make an estimated $1 billion profit if the crude, heavy oil is transported from Canada through the pipeline. Logan then asked Ventura if he was surprised that the Koch brothers were pouring in money to fast track the construction of Keystone.

"Not at all because that's how you control our politicians. Money. The system is completely bribery, the Koch brothers have more money than the alternative energy people. So the Koch brothers will prevail with the Democrats and Republicans."

While nearly all Republicans are pushing for the construction of the Keystone pipeline, Ventura is right to also criticize Democrats. Just last month, eleven Democrats in the Senate wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to support the pipeline. Looking outside of Washington DC, a new poll by the Pew Research Center shows that Democrat voters are also split with 49 percent approving of the pipeline and 38 percent disapproving.

Republicans have claimed that the pipeline will create thousands of jobs, but fact checkers have proven those claims false. According to Politifact, the Keystone XL pipeline would create only 3,900 temporary jobs and 35 permanent jobs after construction. Ventura quoted the source and claimed that those who believe other wise are "officially brainwashed by the Koch Brothers propaganda." Ventura closed out his thoughts on the pipeline during the end of his show by stating "this is all about the oil companies making profits. It's not about the United States becoming oil independent like John Boehner would want you to believe that s**t. Just remember to wave to it as the oil heads to China."

The Keystone XL pipeline is so divisive even among Democrats that the Obama administration has continued to push back their decision indefinitely. If the Keystone XL pipeline is approved it would mean a giant step back for renewable energy, but only time will tell if President Obama gives it the "OK."