FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS: 2 key votes could force Obama's hand on Keystone XL
CBC News | Posted: November 14, 2014 2:00 AM | Last Updated: November 14, 2014
New Republican Congress may be forcing the president's hand on an issue he has delayed deciding on
Six years and two elections later, could the U.S. finally be closing in on a verdict on the Keystone pipeline? If it does, it could come at a rather high political cost to President Obama.
A vote put to Congress, followed by a vote in the Senate, will ultimately land on his desk. And a presidential veto is of course an option, but since it can't get there without some Democrats backing it along the way, it puts the president in something of a bind — and possibly pits his legacy against his loyalty to his party.
Either way, Canada will be watching closely.
A vote put to Congress, followed by a vote in the Senate, will ultimately land on his desk. And a presidential veto is of course an option, but since it can't get there without some Democrats backing it along the way, it puts the president in something of a bind — and possibly pits his legacy against his loyalty to his party.
Either way, Canada will be watching closely.
- Amanda Lang
In a matter of days, years of back and forth on Keystone XL debate could come to a head, and land right on the desk of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Two bills that would force federal approval of the controversial pipeline will be voted on in Congress. The first in the House of Representatives tomorrow, and the second in the Senate Tuesday.
If they pass, President Barack Obama is tasked with what some argue will be one of the most controversial decisions of his presidency. Veto the legislation, or approve it, just days after striking an emissions-reduction deal with China.
TransCanada's $8-billion project has been stuck in the approval process for six years. It would transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The pipeline has pitted environmentalists against big oil, landowners against TransCanada, and President Obama against Republicans. But now Republicans and some Democrats appear to be finding common ground on the matter.
"It is time for America to become energy independent," Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana said "and that is impossible without the Keystone pipeline and other pipelines like it that move our energy from where it is produced to where it is consumed. I am standing strong, I am asking our leadership and the Republican leadership to follow your own advice."
Landrieu called for next week's vote, in a bid to bolster her position ahead of a runoff election next month. She's expected to lose her seat in oil-heavy Louisiana, unless this last-ditch effort can recoup some votes from her Republican opponent.
It's unclear whether her plan will work. The bill going to Senate has 56 co-sponsors — all of the chamber's 45 Republicans, and 11 Democrats — which means Landrieu will need to recruit four more Democrats for it to pass.
The CBC's Neil MacDonald and Amanda Lang discussed the issue on Thursday night's episode of The Exchange. Click the player above to watch their conversation.