First job for new Republican Senate is Keystone XL: McConnell

Reuters ^ | 12/16/2014 | Staff

[mac_truck]

The new Republican-controlled Senate's first act in January will be approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday.

McConnell told reporters that the bill would be based on a measure that failed in the Senate last month that was co-sponsored by North Dakota Republican John Hoeven and Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu.

"It'll be open for amendment," McConnell said. "I will hope that senators on both sides will offer energy-related amendments but there'll be no effort to try to micromanage the amendment process."

Landrieu pushed for a Keystone vote in November in a last-ditch effort to persuade voters in energy-rich Louisiana to re-elect her to a fourth term.

But her gambit fell just one vote short of Senate passage despite winning significant support from Democrats. Landrieu was solidly defeated in a Dec. 6 runoff election by Republican Representative Bill Cassidy, setting the Senate's final post-election split at 54 Republicans to 46 Democrats.

But even with Senate control, Republicans still may find it difficult to win the 67 votes needed to override a veto from President Barack Obama.

[Uncle Miltie]

NOT:

Defeating 0bama’s Unconstitutional and widely hated Amnesty for Lawbreakers

Repealing 0bama’s Unconstitutional and widely hated 0bamaCare.

[albertabound]

do you really believe oil will stay at $60.00 a bbl

[pepsionice]

I think it’s like a oil analyst suggested about a week ago...it’s in for a cycle-type episode. $60 (maybe even down to mid-40’s) is around for 2015, but will start to go back up to $80 to $100 by end of 2016....then the frackers will turn up the production again, and it’ll move back down to $60 by 2018.

All of this hurts OPEC greatly, and harms the Russians in having a stable economy. It hurts the frackers too, I admit. But it’s capitalism at work.

[albertabound]

my take as well