With the House having passed the Keystone Pipeline approval and sent it over to the Senate, the fight over the bill in the face of an almost-certain veto from the White House is picking up steam.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled that he may allow late-night procedures on the bill despite having previously promised normal working days on legislative matters.
Outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) warned, “[As] a leader you are known for your word. You break your word and it says a lot.” But McConnell fired back, “The Senate is out of practice here. We are not trying to block anybody’s amendment. We are trying to gin up business.”
Among the controversial amendments proposed to the bill is one offered by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), which includes a ban on exports of the oil that would come through the pipeline. The amendment of course begs the question of the point of approving the pipeline if exports are outlawed.
