House approves Keystone XL bill

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The Keystone XL pipeline bill was passed Friday by the U.S. House of Representatives, setting up a showdown with President Barack Obama, who said he intends to veto the measure.

The 266-153 vote, largely along party lines although 28 Democrats voted with nearly all Republicans to approve the bill, came hours after the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the pipeline's route through the state.

The bill, which will allow crude oil to pass from Canada to a junction in Nebraska and then to Gulf Coast refineries, will now head to the U.S. Senate, where it is expected to pass.

Although Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said, prior to the bill's passage, "There is simply no reason to delay. This pipeline will be a tremendous boon to the economy, economic development, and one that does not require a single federal dollar," Obama opposes the $8 billion project, agreeing with critics who say the oil will simply move through, not to, the U.S.

There is also belief climate change would be worsened because the product, from Canadian tar sands, is more carbon-intensive than other forms of oil.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said a cloture vote will be conducted Monday to proceed on the bill. The legislation in the Senate has 60 co-sponsors, the number required for a filibuster-proof majority.