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As House poised to approve Keystone XL Pipeline, President Obama resolved to veto it

The Hill reports that President Barack Obama is gearing up to veto a bill authorizing construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, making good on a promise he made months ago.

It would be Obama’s third veto since he took office.

The House is scheduled to vote on the Keystone measure, which has already been approved by the Senate, about midweek and plans to send it to the president’s desk before leaving for a weeklong Presidents’ Day break, The New York Times reported.

Republicans are watching closely, maintaining that a pipeline veto will be one more “no” that would block American jobs.

"This is the first piece of legislation on his desk . . . and he will have to choose between hard working Americans and taxpayers or environmental extremists,” said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a Keystone supporter.

Such a veto could mark the beginning of what The Hill termed “veto wars.”

Republicans have made passage of the Keystone pipeline a priority after gaining control of Congress in November, charging out of the gates with legislation that would override the administration’s review process and approve the $8 billion project.

Work on the Keystone bill took nearly a month in the Senate, ending last week with a 62-36 vote that drew the support of nine Democrats.

"The president has been pretty clear that he does not think circumventing a well-established process for evaluating these projects is the right thing for Congress," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said last month.

The real pressure for a resolution might not come until after the break. The deadline for financing the Department of Homeland Security is Feb. 27, according to a New York Times article.

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