Keystone XL pipeline bill advances in Senate
A bill giving congressional approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline advanced in the Senate on Thursday, allowing the full Senate to consider the bill next week.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the bill by a vote of 13 to nine, with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia joining Republicans to pass it.
"We have an opportunity to build on our reputation as an energy superpower that respects its neighbors, trades with its allies, and builds necessary infrastructure such as the Keystone XL pipeline," Committee Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said of the pipeline.
The 1,700-mile underground oil pipeline would link the tar sands fields of northern Alberta to oil refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. Most Democrats are opposed to the project, and President Obama has promised to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
Now that it has passed in the committee, the full Senate is slated to vote on a motion to proceed with the legislation on Monday afternoon. The new Republican majority will allow senators to offer amendments to the bill, and Democrats have a handful of amendments to offer that focus mostly on the economic impact of the pipeline.
