House Passes Keystone XL Pipeline, Senate Vote Next Week

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline Friday by a vote of 252-161. During a town hall conference call Senator Mike Enzi said an identical bill is expected to be voted in in the Senate on Tuesday:

There seems to be a lot of interest on both sides of the aisle, understanding that the pipeline will result in a lot of jobs. It will also free up a lot of trains so that the barley crops from Wyoming can be hauled and the coal from Wyoming can be hauled.

The 1,179-mile project is proposed to go from Canada through Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

The pipeline has been stalled by environmental reviews, objections to its route and politics for six years. In response to the latest efforts to pass the bill, the the president indicated he still wants to let a review process run its course.