Both houses of the U.S. Congress are set for the first time to vote on whether a controversial pipeline should be built through the central United States to transport Canadian tar-sands oil to American refineries near the Gulf of Mexico.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which has voted several times for construction of the $5.3-billion pipeline, is voting Thursday and likely to approve it again. The Democratic-controlled Senate has scheduled a vote for next Tuesday, relenting on holding a vote after years of opposition from environmentalists.
Two pipeline supporters, House Republican Bill Cassidy and Senate Democrat Mary Landrieu, are facing each other next month in a runoff election for Landrieu’s Senate seat in the oil-rich state of Louisiana. Both are anxious to win approval for the 1,900-kilometer pipeline to bolster their election chances.
But Landrieu still faces substantial pipeline opposition in the 100-member Senate where she will need 60 votes, mostly from Republicans, to overcome blocking tactics from her fellow Democratic senators.
U.S. President Barack Obama said last week that before he decides whether to permit the pipeline construction, he wants to see a State Department review of whether the pipeline is in the national interest and its effect on climate change.
