House passes bill to fast-track Keystone XL oil pipeline

CBS News ^ | 11/14/2014 | Jake Miller

[SeekAndFind]

The House of Representatives passed a bill expediting the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Friday, thrusting Congress back into the debate over a long-stalled project lauded by proponents as a job creator and reviled by foes as an environmental disaster.

The bill passed by a margin of 252 to 161. This is the ninth time the House has passed such a bill on the pipeline. The Senate has planned a vote on a similar proposal next Tuesday.

The long-simmering debate over the pipeline's construction reached a sudden boil earlier this week when a group of lawmakers, led by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, and John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, announced an agreement to bring the pipeline approval up for a vote during the Senate's lame duck session.

Landrieu, the powerful chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee, is facing a Senate runoff on December 6 against her GOP foe, Rep. Bill Cassidy. She is considered an underdog in that race, but some Democrats hope her dogged support for Keystone, which is strongly backed by oil and gas interests in her state, could sharpen her final pitch to voters.

It is likely no coincidence that House Republicans named the bill they passed Thursday the "Bill Cassidy Keystone Solution," punting credit to Landrieu's opponent.

Landrieu said Wednesday that she's more concerned about passing the bill than fencing with her opponent over who receives the credit for it.

"I mean to say this as sincerely as I can-if taking my name off this bill helps it to pass, go right ahead," she said. "This is not about credit, it is not about glory, it is not about politics. It is about getting our work done."

[Sacajaweau]

That means 28 Dems crossed over. That's a good beginning. I think it can happen.

So what would Obama do?

I'm trying to figure out how a pocket veto would work for Obama. I think he's done it before.

Just not voting will change the numbers.....Kinda like the "present" vote that Obama always pulled.

[familyop]

Lobby associations for county and city governments are also testing and increasing their limits. They want higher property taxes and higher real estate assessments. Anything like the Keystone XL goes against the wishes of most of them. They and their closely associated real estate and service business interests (soaking tourism, etc.) have been behind much of the shutting down of useful production across our country.

[cripplecreek]

Here in Michigan Rick Snyder has started building federal infrastructure that Obama refuses to release funds for. By the time the project is done both Obama and Snyder will be out of office.

Snyder finally got the deal with Canada for them to build a new bridge over the Detroit river after some 30 years. Canada is paying approximately $2 billion to build the bridge and Obama refuses to release the $250 million for the customs plaza so Snyder ordered crews to start building the damn thing anyway.

Obama would release the funds but only if Snyder gives $100 million to the Detroit pension funds.

[lepton]

Nice bit of information. Thanks.