Senate vote moves Keystone XL ahead
Debate over amendments to pipeline legislation up next
WASHINGTON – The Keystone XL pipeline won a key vote in the Senate on Monday evening, clearing a path for a bill approving its construction to soon pass after six years of debate over the controversial proposal to ship Canadian crude oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast.
Ten Democrats and an independent, Maine Sen. Angus King, joined 52 Republicans in voting to advance the bill Monday. The procedural vote required support of 60 of the 100 Senators, enough to overcome a Democratic filibuster, and is the farthest Keystone supporters have ever reached in the Senate. Next comes debate over amendments and expected final passage of the bill.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has promised to allow consideration of all amendments, and Democrats have plans to propose a series of amendments regarding oil exports and renewable energy, among other issues.
Despite Monday’s vote, though, there is still not enough support for the pipeline to override President Barack Obama promised veto of the bill.
It would take a two-thirds vote to overcome Obama’s veto, which in the Senate would mean 67 votes.
Republicans said they hope to attract more Democratic votes through amendments to the bill before its final passage in the Senate. But Democratic leaders are confident there won’t be enough support to override a veto, no matter what Republicans offer.
The 1,179-mile Keystone XL is designed to ship as much as 830,000 barrels a day, mostly from the Canadian oil sands, to refineries in Texas. Tapping the thick Alberta crude produces more planet-warming gases than conventional sources of oil, and it’s harder to clean up when spilled.
An identical bill passed the House on Friday, but not with enough support to overcome a presidential veto.