U.S. Senate passes bill approving Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Thursday Jan 29,2015

The US Senate has passed a bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, sending it to President Barack Obama's desk for a likely veto

The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate on Thursday Jan 29,2015 approved a bipartisan bill to construct the Keystone Canada-U.S. XL oil pipeline, defying a presidential veto threat and setting up the first of many battles with the White House over energy and the environment.
The 62-36 vote advanced a top priority of the newly empowered Republicans, and marked the first time the Senate passed a bill authorizing the pipeline, despite numerous attempts to force President Barack Obama’s hand on the issue. Nine Democrats joined with 53 Republicans to back the measure.
Still the vote was short of the threshold needed two-thirds to override a veto in the 100-member chamber and the legislation still must be reconciled with the version the House passed.

Republicans -- and some Democrats -- hail the pipeline as a 1,179-mile (1,900-kilometer) shovel-ready project that would create 40,000 construction jobs and boost US energy security.
Republicans also argue that moving oil by pipeline releases far fewer emissions than transporting it by rail or road.
Many Democrats oppose it on environmental grounds, warning of the risks of pipeline leaks and how the "tar sands" oil takes more energy and water to process than conventional crude.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell called the bill "an important accomplishment for the country".
"We are hoping the president upon reflection will agree to sign on to a bill that the State Department said could create up to 42,000 jobs and the State Department said creates little to no impact on the environment."

The White House has previously said Mr Obama will veto the bill.
Spokesman Josh Earnest said the legislation would undermine a "well-established" review process

Sen. Maria Cantwell (C) speaks about the Keystone XL Pipeline, flanked by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Debbie Stabenow during a news conference on January 29, 2015, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC

Demonstrators hold signs against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 28, 2015

Note

The 875-mile (1,400km) pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the US state of Nebraska where it joins pipes running to Texas.

The Keystone XL pipeline aims to carry some 830,000 barrels of heavy crude a day from the fields in Alberta to Nebraska.
The oil would then be transported on existing pipes to refineries in Texas

First proposed in 2008, the $8 billion pipeline project has been beset by delays in the state of Nebraska over its route and at the White House, where the president has resisted prior efforts by Congress to force him to make a decision. In 2012, Barack Obama rejected the project after Congress attached a measure to a payroll tax cut extension that gave him a deadline to make a decision. The pipeline’s developer, TransCanada Corp., then reapplied.
Barack Obama has said he will not be forced to make a decision on the pipeline, which requires presidential approval because it crosses an international border, until the review process concludes.

The US House of Representatives on Friday Jan 09,2015 has passed a bill 266-153 approving the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline with with 28 Democrats supporting the measure.