US House of Representatives Approves Keystone Pipeline Bill Friday Jan 09,2015

 

The US House of Representatives on Friday Jan 09,2015 has passed a bill approving the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline

The bill was the first piece of major legislation to be introduced by the newly Republican-controlled Congress which was passed by the House by a vote of 266-153, with 28 Democrats supporting the measure.

Keystone supporters received a huge boost early Friday when Nebraska's Supreme Court dismissed a suit challenging a proposed route of the pipeline.
That decision reversed a 2012 ruling that determined the governor had violated the state's constitution by bypassing regulators and approving the pipeline's route.
"On appeal, the state contends that the landowners lacked standing to sue and that L.B. 1161 is constitutional," the court said in a statement, referring to a law that allows major oil carriers to bypass regulatory procedures.
Republicans said Obama, who so far has opposed Keystone due to environmental concerns, should consider the court verdict and the House vote as signs Americans are eager to move forward on the project.
"There is no excuse -- scientific or otherwise -- for the president to continue blocking the pipeline," House Speaker John Boehner said after the vote.

 The bill now heads to the Senate, where debate on Keystone begins next week.

Keystone XL Pipeline Project

The project has been one of the most contentious issues between Mr Obama and Republicans who now lead Congress.
It is 1,179-mile (1,897km) extension of an existing pipeline that would bring additional oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to refining facilities near the Gulf of Mexico.