Keystone XL Pipeline bill passes Senate
The Keystone XL pipeline bill passed the Senate today. The bill received assistance from nine Democrats. The Democrats that voted for the bill are Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tom Carper (D-DE.) Bob Casey (D-PA); Joe Donnelly (D-IN); Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV); Claire McCaskill (D-MO); Jon Tester (D-MT.), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
According to the Huffington Post,
The bill passed by a vote of 62 to 36, with all Republicans and nine Democrats voting in favor. The House approved similar legislation earlier this month. It’s unclear at this point whether the two chambers will need to conference on a bill, or whether the House will pass the Senate bill as amended.
But the bill is destined for a veto either way, as the White House has said President Barack Obama will not sign it into law. Press Secretary Josh Earnest reiterated that veto threat in a press conference Thursday afternoon. So while Thursday marked the end of a sprint on Keystone in the Senate, it’s not likely a conclusion to the marathon debates over the controversial pipeline. The vote indicates there are not enough supporters in the Senate to override a presidential veto at this time. …
The Senate has voted on 41 amendments over the last two weeks, but only a handful won enough votes for passage. The Senate approved a measure from John Cornyn (R-Texas) affirming constitutional protections for landowners against the use of eminent domain. It also approved a measure from Murkowski putting the Senate on record stating that the oil industry should have to pay the same per-barrel tax into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for bitumen, a type of crude oil from the tar sands, as it pays for other types of oil. Bitumen is currently excluded from that tax.
Also attached to the legislation were amendments acknowledging that climate change is “real and not a hoax”; approving a scaled-back version of bipartisan energy efficiency legislation; and promoting energy efficiency retrofits for schools.
The President’s word will be tested. Progressives are demanding that he veto the bill when it gets to his desk.