Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) legislation to fast-track the Keystone XL pipeline failed by just one vote on Tuesday, falling short of the 60 needed to defeat a filibuster and pass.
The measure received 59 votes.
Landrieu successfully pushed for the Senate vote ahead of a tough Dec. 6 runoff election against Republican Bill Cassidy. The bill, passed last week by the House, was not likely to have a decisive impact in the race, and President Barack Obama had hinted he would veto it anyway.
The Democrats who supported the bill were Sens. Mark Begich, Michael Bennet, Tom Carper, Bob Casey, Joe Donnelly, Kay Hagan, Heidi Heitkamp, Mary Landrieu, Joe Manchin, Claire McCaskill, Mark Pryor, Jon Tester, John Walsh and Mark Warner.
“It’s staying on my agenda,” Landrieu told reporters after the vote. “So for jobs, for economic opportunity, for energy independence, this fight is worth having.”
The vote may be a preview of the 114th Congress in that Democrats used the 60-vote threshold to filibuster legislation supported by mostly Republicans. The GOP will have a 54-seat majority if Cassidy defeats Landrieu.
“Tonight, Senate Democrats once again stood in the way of a shovel-ready jobs project that would help thousands of Americans find work — a remarkable stance after an election in which the American people sent a clear message to Congress to approve serious policies like the Keystone XL Pipeline and get the Senate working again,” incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in a statement.
He promised another vote on Keystone when the GOP takes over the chamber.
Progressive Democrats, meanwhile, expressed strong opposition to the project.
“Every dollar that we spend on fossil fuel development and use is another dollar we spent digging the graves of our grandchildren,” Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) told reporters before the vote. “And I’m not going to be a part of it anymore. I’m through. That’s just how strongly I feel.”
Correction: This post originally misstated the first name of Sen. Mark Warner. It has been updated.
