Keystone XL bill fails to advance | Al Jazeera America.
WASHINGTON — The Senate stopped just short of approving the long-delayed and controversial Keystone XL pipeline Tuesday night. The 59-to-41 vote, with 14 Democrats joining all 45 Republicans in favor of approving the Keystone XL measure, was just shy of the 60 votes needed for the legislation to advance.
The harrowingly close results spare President Barack Obama from having to choose whether or not to issue a veto on Keystone XL, which has proven a divisive and polarizing issue for the duration of his administration, pitting environmental concerns against the initiative’s job-creation potential.
After stalling and skirting the issue for years, Majority Leader Harry Reid chose to at last schedule a vote on the project in the lame duck session, ostensibly to help embattled Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, a fellow Democrat, secure re-election. After garnering less than 50 percent of the vote on election night, Landrieu will face Republican opponent Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La. in a Dec. 6 runoff vote, in which her chances of holding her seat are looking increasingly slim.
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