The Senate is set to vote on a bill authorizing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline Thursday afternoon to close four weeks of debate on the legislation.
Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said amendment votes and debate time would end by 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Doing so would wrap up a heated first test for the new GOP-led Senate that included flashes of partisan squabbling over legislative procedure.
The legislation is likely to pass the upper chamber with a handful of Democratic supporters. If it does, the bill would be reconciled with a version that cleared the House earlier this month.
President Obama has threatened to veto the bill, as the White House says it would circumvent a federal review of the $8 billion Canada-to-Texas project. The 1,700-mile pipeline’s supporters say the president has had plenty of time to assess the project, which has been under consideration for more than six years.
It’s unlikely that the Senate can find the 67 votes needed to override a veto. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., the bill’s lead sponsor, has said Republicans would try to wrap it into a broader energy or spending bill that Obama might sign.
