House Approves Keystone XL Pipeline

The U.S. House of Representatives, controlled by Republicans, approved the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Friday. The Democrat-led Senate will vote on Tuesday.

The GOP-led House of Representatives approved the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Friday, sending the legislation to the Democrat-controlled Senate for a vote on Tuesday.

The pipeline is the subject of fierce controversy and political debate around the nation. The proposed TransCanada line would run from Hardesty, Canada to Steele City, Nebraska. It has been subject to several environmental reviews.

The House approved the measure by a 252-161 vote.

As The Associated Press reported:

Senate supporters said they were confident they would have the 60 votes needed for passage come Tuesday.

...

Advocates say it will create thousands of jobs and aid energy security, but environmentalists warn of possible spills and say the pipeline will expedite development of some of the dirtiest oil available.

BuzzFeed News recently reported that the Obama administration didn't favor recent legislative measures in regards to Keystone.

The White House has a "dim view" of the proposals to vote on the Keystone Pipeline this week, and emphasized the continuation of the current State Department process for the issue.

"The administration has taken a dim view of these kinds of legislative proposals in the past," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday in Myanmar. "It's fair to say that our dim view of these kinds of proposals has not changed."

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