WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Congress and the Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday delivered a one-two punch to President Barack Obama’s opposition to the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The White House, which issued a veto threat this week, said its “position and posture” remained unchanged, and environmentalists said Obama should kill what would amount to “a global warming disaster.”
The House voted 266-153 to approve a bill authorizing construction of the Canada-to-Texas pipeline, with 28 Democrats joining majority Republicans in support. It was one of the first pieces of legislation considered by the new, GOP-controlled Congress, which has made approval of the pipeline a top priority.
The Republican cause was emboldened Friday, when Nebraska’s highest court tossed out a lawsuit challenging the pipeline’s route, an obstacle the White House said must be removed before it could decide whether the project was in the national interest and the administration could proceed with its own review.
“We shouldn’t be debating it; we should be building it,” said House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, following the court’s decision, renewed his call for Obama to reconsider his promise to veto the measure.
A White House spokesman said the court’s decision changed nothing.
The House vote marked the 10th time the chamber has voted on legislation to advance the Keystone XL pipeline. Strong as the vote was, it fell short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a presidential veto.
The Senate, although newly controlled by the Republicans, is also likely to fall short of that threshold.
