Pipeline vote likely an empty victory
WASHINGTON — A key Senate committee voted 12-10 Wednesday to endorse legislation that would force approval of Keystone XL, a mostly symbolic action that will do little to put the pipeline in the ground but could help the panel’s Democratic chairwoman in her re-election bid.
The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and John Hoeven, R-N.D., aims to end a six-year battle over TransCanada Corp.’s proposed pipeline, which would connect Alberta with the oil hub in Cushing, Okla., and give Canadian crude a new route to Gulf Coast refineries.
But the vote by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee probably is the high-water mark for the bill. A previous effort to negotiate a Senate vote on a similar measure collapsed, and Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is not likely to launch floor debate on the newversion.
“The real challenge, as
weknow, is getting an actual vote on the Senate floor, where we have seen these bills languish before,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, RAlaska. “We’ve got a lot more work to do.”
Both Republican James Risch of Idaho and Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan denounced the heated politics encircling Keystone and the bill to approve it.
“This is very political,” Risch said, directing his comments at Landrieu, the committee chairwoman. “I want to commend you for having this hearing today, but we all know this isn’t going anywhere.”
Other panel Republicans also derided the action as politically motivated, given Landrieu’s desire to highlight her work pro- moting the pipeline and other oil industry priorities ahead of the November election.
Landrieu’s top Republican challenger, Rep. Bill Cassidy, has accused the senator of not doing enough to get the bordercrossing pipeline permitted.
Committee Republicans support the Keystone XL and the bill voted on Wednesday, but winning Landrieu’s Louisiana seat is viewed as key to GOP hopes for regaining control of the Senate in the midterm election.
Sen. John Barrasso, RWyo., cast the committee’s action as a show vote. “This vote seems more like a cheerleading exercise than a meaningful effort to get Keystone built,” he said.
Landrieu called the characterization “disappointing,” and insisted she and other Keystone supporters were working honestly to advance the project. “There was no popcorn and Coca-Cola handed out before today’s meeting,” she said.
The bill was approved along mostly party lines, with only Landrieu and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., breaking ranks to support it.
Sen. Mark Udall, DColo., whose own tough re-election fight is being dogged by oil and gas issues, voted against the legislation.
The three-page bill would apply specifically to TransCanada’s May 4, 2012, application to the State Department seeking a presidential permit to build the project, along with any potential changes to the pipeline’s proposed route through Nebraska.
The legislation would deem previous environmental analysis by the State Department as fulfilling statutory requirements for such study.
And it would force any litigation over the pipeline and related cross-border facilities into a Washington-based federal appeals court. jennifer.dlouhy@chron.com twitter.com/jendlouhyhc