WASHINGTON —*The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted overwhelmingly 252-161 to authorize the immediate construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
The U.S. Senate will debate the measure on Tuesday and might vote that same day. It is uncertain if Keystone can get the 60 votes to avoid a filibuster.
In many ways, the House and Senate votes are political stunts designed to help either Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu or Republican opponent Rep. Bill Cassidy win a senate runoff vote in Louisiana Dec. 6.
The two candidates sponsored the bills in their respective Houses of Congress —*despite the fact that the House has voted on the issue eight*previous times.
The Keystone pipeline, which would transport about 830,000 barrels of bitumen and crude oil from Alberta’s oilsands and the Bakken field in North*Dakota to Gulf Coast refineries, has become a jobs-creation issue in Louisiana.
The state department has been studying the pipeline for six years and the final decision rests with U.S. President Barack Obama. He has not said whether he will veto the Keystone bill if it reaches his desk.
House of Representatives approves Keystone project amid heated debate over Louisiana senate seat
The U.S. Senate will debate the measure on Tuesday and might vote that same day. It is uncertain if Keystone can get the 60 votes to avoid a filibuster.
In many ways, the House and Senate votes are political stunts designed to help either Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu or Republican opponent Rep. Bill Cassidy win a senate runoff vote in Louisiana Dec. 6.
The two candidates sponsored the bills in their respective Houses of Congress —*despite the fact that the House has voted on the issue eight*previous times.
The Keystone pipeline, which would transport about 830,000 barrels of bitumen and crude oil from Alberta’s oilsands and the Bakken field in North*Dakota to Gulf Coast refineries, has become a jobs-creation issue in Louisiana.
The state department has been studying the pipeline for six years and the final decision rests with U.S. President Barack Obama. He has not said whether he will veto the Keystone bill if it reaches his desk.
House of Representatives approves Keystone project amid heated debate over Louisiana senate seat