ALL OUT OF EXCUSES: House Vote and Nebraska Court Ruling put Pressure on Obama to Act On Keystone Pipeline

A Nebraska state court on Friday removed a key hurdle holding up approval decisions on the Keystone XL pipeline, shifting attention to Washington where a political battle is heating up between congressional Republicans and President Barack Obama over the long-disputed project.

(House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana walks to the House chamber in Washington, where the House overwhelmingly passed a bill authorizing the Keystone XL oil pipeline on Friday. Associated Press )

The ruling clears a path for the U.S. State Department, which has been reviewing the pipeline for more than six years, to make a final decision, while also increasing the political pressure on the Obama administration to act sooner rather than later. The administration has repeatedly cited the case as a legal uncertainty for why it hasn’t acted on Keystone and has threatened to veto Republican-backed legislation approving the pipeline.

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The court development, along with a fresh push in Congress, puts renewed pressure on the Obama administration to act.

The House passed legislation Friday approving the pipeline on a 266-153 vote, marking the 10th time it has acted on such a bill since 2011. The Senate, under new Republican control, begins debate on an identical bill next week.

“The president should reconsider his threat to oppose this bipartisan jobs bill and instead join us as we stand up for American jobs and energy,” House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R., Mich.), said Friday.

After the Nebraska ruling, the White House said it remained opposed to the Keystone bill.

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