Dive Brief:
- President Barack Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline bill Tuesday after the House sent it to his desk.
- The president had consistently said he would reject the measure; his action marks the third veto of his presidency.
- Republicans in Congress have not shown they have the two-thirds majority necessary to override the veto. The chief Republican sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Hoeven, said the party is about 11 votes short in the House and four short in the Senate. Party officials announced the veto override vote will occur sometime in the next week.
Dive Insight:
Despite the veto, the debate over the pipeline is far from over, as Obama could still ultimately decide to approve the measure.
Republicans in Congress have also said they would consider attaching a provision for the pipeline to future bills in order to get Obama to sign or to rally enough support to override a veto.
Another unresolved matter: The State Department has not completed its review to determine if the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline is in the national interest. The pipeline's owner, TransCanada, first applied in 2008 for permits to build it.
Obama said in his veto message to the Senate: "...because this act of Congress conflicts with established executive branch procedures and cuts short thorough consideration of issues that could bear on our national interest—including our security, safety, and environment—it has earned my veto."
