The Senate this week rejected a GOP-backed measure that would have circumvented the Obama Administration’s opposition to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, reports CNN.
The amendment would have approved construction of most of the pipeline, except for sections that run through Nebraska, where Governor Dave Heineman opposes the current routing of the pipeline due to environmental concerns. But support for the measure fell four votes short of the 60 needed for it to move forward. Republicans unanimously supported the amendment. They were joined by eleven Democrats.
Environmentalists strongly oppose the pipeline due to concerns about leaks and the source of the oil it will carry: Canadian tar sands, which require substantial amounts of energy to extract and therefore generate higher emissions than conventional sources of oil. Supporters of the pipeline argue that buying Canadian oil potentially reduces American imports from more volatile parts of the world. They add that the pipeline will create thousands of temporary construction jobs.
The pipeline has become a flashpoint for protests. Last summer more than 1,200 were arrested in demonstrations against the project.
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