President Obama on Tuesday vetoed Congress鈥 approval of the contested Keystone XL pipeline, the 1,179-mile pipeline that would pump oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.
After a six-year debate over the pipeline鈥檚 perceived impact to climate change, energy planning, and job creation, the State Department recommended the application for the pipeline鈥檚 construction be denied. Obama agreed and used his veto power鈥攖he third veto of his presidency.
鈥淭his announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people,鈥 Obama . 鈥淚鈥檓 disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my administration鈥檚 commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil.鈥
The bill passed 270 to 152 in the House and 62 to 36 in the Senate, short of the two-thirds majorities needed to override the veto, . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threatens a veto override vote by March 3.
The State Department, working with TransCanada, will continue to review the proposal but has no deadline. Obama鈥檚 decision is a declaration that the environmental impacts outweigh any perceived economic benefits.
鈥淭he allure of appeasing environmental extremists may be too powerful for the president to ignore,鈥 wrote McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner . 鈥淏ut the president is sadly mistaken if he thinks vetoing this bill will end this fight. Far from it. We鈥檙e just getting started.鈥
Here is our Keystone cheat sheet, which includes overviews of the key issues lawmakers are considering as they debate the merits and drawbacks of the pipeline proposal.