Senate Democratic leaders have agreed to hold a vote on approval of the Keystone pipeline as early as next week, dropping their longstanding objections after losing their majority last week.
A vote is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, according to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who are poised to trade titles in January.
The deal was announced within an hour of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) demanding a vote. She faces a tough runoff election on Dec. 6.
McConnell attributed the Democrats’ change of heart to the election.
“The American people have elected a new Republican Majority in the Senate and that has already made a difference,” he said. “I was glad to see that Senate Democrats have finally backed off trying to obstruct construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, the single largest shovel-ready project in America.”
Legislation to approve the pipeline has broad support in the Senate and was all but guaranteed to pass under the coming Republican majority if Democrats resisted a vote on it during the lame duck session.
The House is planning to vote on Thursday for legislation to approve the pipeline, offered by Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Landrieu’s opponent in the runoff.
Hmmm, how many millions of us are fed up, and not going to take it anymore? What does “not going to take it anymore” mean, in reality?
And Obama will merely sharpen and practice with his VETO! pen.
There is NOTHING beneficial to the USA in the Keystone Pipeline project. Absolutely nothing.
Nothing , not even this, can save Mary. And she is one of the ones that begged Obama not to move on immigration which in turn suppressed the Latino vote. We owe her nothing , but a wave good-bye.
I should send an article about what’s happening in Michigan about a pipeline. These guys are cutting locks on fences and downing trees to make way, without permission from the landowners. They only had permission to survey the properties.
It appears that the property owners have no recourse right now.
It worries me that he won’t veto it. I think he’s been looking for a reason to authorize it all along, and the ‘oh look, it’s bi-partisan’ offers him the perfect excuse. I hope I am wrong.