Keystone Pipeline Bill Fails to Pass in US Senate

The Keystone XL will have to wait. On Nov. 18, the Senate blocked the bill for the giant pipeline, linking oil from Alberta, Canada, to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The text, which the House of Representatives adopted on Friday, Nov. 14, did not get the requisite vote of 60 senators that would have forced President Barack Obama to decide the fate of the international project.

The vote, however, was close — 59 in favor, including 14 Democrats, and 41 against, all Democrats* — lacking just one vote in favor of a project that environmental organizations have strongly criticized. These groups have recently stressed the fact that the pipeline would route tar sands oil to the U.S. from Canada. This type of oil is obtained by methods that produce significant pollution.

A Desperate Attempt

This legislative offensive actually masked a desperate attempt by the outgoing Democratic senator from Louisiana, Mary Landrieu, to preserve her chances for re-election in the second round of voting in her state, scheduled for Dec 6. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — at least until the beginning of January — Mary Landrieu has long supported the pipeline project.

By getting the outgoing Democratic Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, to give the green light to put the text to a vote, she hoped to rally enough Democrats to pass the bill and attract the votes she needs to defeat the Republican Bill Cassidy, who was neck-and-neck with Landrieu on Nov. 4 — he did not obtain the absolute majority needed in Louisiana to be elected in the first round of voting.

Obama’s Veto

Divided between principled opposition and the temptation to help the senator in a struggle that she is not favored to win, the Democrats ultimately chose to block a project that Republicans now want to make a top priority when they take control of the Senate — and the House of Representatives — in the next session of Congress.

A favorable vote in the Senate, however, would still not allow a portion of the project — the section from Nebraska to Canada — since President Obama would veto it. The White House is waiting for an opinion from the State Department on this project before deciding. The pipeline route is also the subject of an appeal to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which could issue a decision before the end of the year.

*Editor’s Note: In reality, Democrats only accounted for 40 of the votes against the bill. The other vote against was provided by an Independent senator.