The Senate will take up a bill on whether to approve the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline on Tuesday.
The move comes as Democrats and Republicans unanimously agreed to proceed to debate on the bill from Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and John Hoeven, R-N.D.
It’s a vote rife with electoral implications. The House will vote on, and likely pass, identical legislation Thursday from Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La. He’s challenging Landrieu for her Senate seat in a Dec. 6 runoff.
Landrieu said she believes she can get a filibuster-proof 60 votes to green light the Canada-to-Texas pipeline. The bill has 57 cosponsors, but it failed to attract 60 backers in May when the Senate appeared close to bringing it to the floor.
Hoeven said it’s likely backers won’t know until the vote happens whether there’s 60 in favor. But he did say the identical House bill with Cassidy’s name on it was meant to make it more palatable to the lower chamber.
“That was part of the agreement,” he told reporters.
President Obama, however, will likely veto the measure. He’s maintained that a review process is in place for the project, which has been in administrative limbo for more than six years.
Landrieu noted in a news conference that she has not received any assurance from the White House.
