Senators introduce pro-Keystone XL bill to bypass Obama administration

Suzanne Goldenberg theguardian.com Barack Obama faced a new challenge on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on Thursday when Democrats and Republicans in the Senate introduced a bill taking the decision out of his hands. The bill, introduced by Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu and North Dakota Republican John Hoeven, would bypass Obama, authorising immediate construction of the 1,660-mile pipeline. The two senators said they were hoping for a vote as early as next week. Landrieu said she hoped to “greenlight construction of the pipeline immediately”. The senators claimed they had the support of all 45 Republicans and 11 Democrats. But it was unclear whether there would be a binding vote on the bill, or whether the senators would gather the 67 votes needed to over-ride a likely veto from the White House. The bill introduced on Thursday reflects growing frustration from Keystone supporters in Congress at the Obama administration's repeated delays of the project. The administration announced another indefinite delay last month. to read more: theguardian.com