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The U.S. Congress prepared to hold votes on the Keystone XL pipeline, Thursday, just as a new report confirmed that Americans need it more than they might think. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted that the tight-oil boom that has helped wean the U.S. off imports will likely run out of steam in the next decade.
U.S. Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu said she would propose a vote on Thursday to approve the US$8-billion project, which would transport 830,000 barrels a day, primarily from Canada’s oil sands, to refineries in Texas.
Ms. Landrieu, who is at risk of losing her Louisiana seat in a runoff election in December, said on the Senate floor Wednesday she was “confident” she has the votes to pass a bill that would force Washington’s approval, over President Barack Obama’s resistance.
“I believe it is time to act,” said Ms. Landrieu, chair of the Senate Energy Committee and a vocal supporter of KXL, as Congress convened for a lame-duck session.
“I believe we should take the new majority leader at his word and stop blocking legislation that is broadly supported by the public and has been for some time.” A similar vote was expected in the House of Representatives.
After winning control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the Nov. 4 mid-term elections, Republicans had already vowed to introduce legislation in January to permit the pipeline.
It takes a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override a presidential veto.
Pipeline proponent TransCanada Corp. said there have been several Congressional votes in support of KXL “because it remains in America’s national interest.
“We continue to believe that Keystone XL should be approved and we will work with policy makers who want to work in a bipartisan fashion to make the construction and operation of Keystone XL a reality,” Calgary-based TransCanada said in a statement. “Keystone XL has been the subject of several Congressional votes in support of building Keystone XL because it remains in America’s national interest.”
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