PRESIDENT OBAMA VETOES KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE LEGISLATION

By TONI ELLINGTON

On Tuesday, February 24, 2015, President Obama vetoed the legislation which would have authorized the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  The veto came within hours of the legislation’s arrival on his desk.  In his veto message, President Obama said that the legislation cut short the consideration process for the pipeline permit application which was pending before the State Department.  The State Department is currently conducting an assessment as to whether construction of the pipeline serves the national interest.

The veto was only the third veto used by President Obama during his presidency.

According to supporters of the pipeline legislation, the veto denied Americans thousands of well-paying new jobs and the opportunity to progress toward energy independence.  However, critics of the pipeline claim that the pipeline would create only 35 long term jobs.

Although supporters do not have the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto in the Senate, the Senate does have the 60 votes which would be needed to attach the Keystone XL Pipeline to other bills.

Meanwhile the battle between landowners with property on the route of the proposed pipeline and TransCanada continues in Nebraska, where the court will decide whether the use of eminent domain is constitutional as a legitimate method to obtain the land where the pipeline would be built.

For updates, stay tuned to this blog, or call (504) 599-8500.