Senate fails to override Obama's veto of Keystone XL pipeline bill

WASHINGTON – The Senate fell four votes short of overriding the White House's veto of the Keystone XL pipeline on Wednesday, but supporters of the project are not giving up the fight.

Lawmakers in the Senate voted 62-37, failing to get the 66 votes needed to override President Barack Obama's veto. Supporters of the pipeline in Congress said they remain optimistic the project can ultimately proceed, perhaps by being attached to a transportation, infrastructure, energy or government spending bill that the president would be pressured to sign into law.

"If we don't win the battle today, we will win the war because we will find another bill to attach this pipeline to," Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., the chief sponsor of the bill, said before votes were cast.

Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who called Obama's veto 'short-sighted," echoed those comments in remarks made after the vote.

"The fight to build Keystone is not over," he declared.

Some lawmakers have talked about adding Keystone to a long-term transportation funding bill because it would likely garner bipartisan support, increasing the chance that the Senate could be successful in overriding another White House veto. A second option would be including it as part of a measure to fund the Environmental Protection Agency — a move that would force the White House to determine if it would be willing to give up funding because of the pipeline.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont, said he would look for ways to move forward on Keystone, but he cautioned against jeopardizing the passage of important spending or highway bills to do it. Tester expressed disappointment over the vote Wednesday "especially when building Keystone has clear bipartisan support."

The 1,179-mile pipeline would transport oil from Alberta, Canada, to Steele City, Neb., where it would connect to existing pipeline to Gulf Coast refineries. A significant portion of the pipeline proposed by TransCanada Corp. would cut through Montana.

Keystone, which was proposed in 2008, has come to signify the debate over energy production, jobs and the environment. Proponents say the $8 billion pipeline would boost employment and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil; opponents argue it would contribute to global warming and create only a few permanent jobs.

Bob Burns, a retired political science professor from South Dakota State University, said the veto override was likely the best opportunity for Republicans to move forward on Keystone, but he was confident Wednesday's vote wasn't the end of the pipeline debate.

"I don't see a quick conclusion," Burns said. "It has really been pole-vaulted to a much more visible controversial issue than what the substance itself might warrant."

Green groups celebrated the outcome. Environment America said the failure of the veto override was "the final demise" for the Keystone.

"Goodbye and good riddance to the Keystone bill," said Anna Aurilio, a director with Environment America. "The decision about piping the world's dirtiest fuel across the U.S. border now rests squarely with the president."

Obama has said he will not make a decision until the State Department, which has jurisdiction on the pipeline because it crosses an international border, reviews the project's impact on the environment, the economy and other issues. There is no timetable for when the review will be completed.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact Christopher Doering at cdoering@gannett.com or reach him at Twitter: @cdoering