Although the House of Representatives voted last week to approve construction of the Keystone Pipeline, on November 18, 2014, supporters in the Senate could not get enough votes for the measure to ensure success. The roll call vote in the Senate was 59 to 41. A vote of 60 for the measure in the Senate would have been enough to override a possible veto from President Obama.
The Keystone Pipeline, if constructed, will stretch nearly 1,700 miles and deliver 830,000 barrels of crude daily from western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, where it will connect with existing pipeline to deliver the oil to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental groups who oppose the pipeline claim that it will not create jobs in the United States, since the oil carried by the pipeline will come from Canada. Opponents also claim that the oil from Canada is from dirty tar sands which may pose health risks. Opponents also have raised the potential of security breaches and spills in the U.S. along the 1,700 miles of unguarded pipeline.
Proponents of the Keystone Pipeline claim it will lead to more efficient delivery of oil into domestic markets and that it will boost the economy and create jobs connected with the construction.
Anti-pipeline protesters disrupted the Senate vote yesterday and had to be removed from the Senate by security.
For additional updates, stay tuned to this blog, or contact Toni Ellington at (504) 599-8500
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