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 The legislation, approved by 252 votes to 161, circumvents the
need for approval of TransCanada Corp's <TRP.TO> $8 billion project
by the Obama administration, which has been considering it for more
than six years. No Republicans voted against the measure, while 31
Democrats voted for the bill.
It was the ninth time the House has passed a Keystone bill, and
supporters were confident that this time the Senate would follow
suit and pass its version.
But passage was not assured in the Senate, which is expected to take
up the measure next Tuesday. Supporters were still one vote shy of
the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster, a blocking procedure, an
aide to a Keystone supporter said on Friday. The aide spoke on
condition of anonymity.
Approval for the pipeline, which would help transport oil from
Canada's oil sands to the U.S. Gulf coast energy hub, has rested
with the Obama administration because it crosses an international
border.
 The decision has been pending amid jousting between proponents of
the pipeline who say it would create thousands of construction jobs
and environmentalists who say it would increase carbon emissions
linked to climate change.
If the measure did pass Congress Obama would have to decide whether
to make rare use of his veto power.
While the White House has not said if he would do this, Obama has
threatened to use his veto in the past. On Friday, he said he still
favored the evaluation that is being carried out by the State
Department.
Noting legal action in Nebraska, where a court is expected to rule
in coming weeks on a case over the pipeline's route in the state,
Obama said "until we know what the route is it's very hard to finish
that evaluation. And I don't think we should short-circuit that
process."
The House vote would have no effect on the State Department’s
review, department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a briefing. She did
not say when it would be completed.
LOUISIANA PUSH
The push on the Keystone XL pipeline this week followed heavy
defeats for Obama's Democratic Party in midterm elections on Nov. 4
and was propelled by a runoff election battle for a Senate seat in
Louisiana, whose economy is heavily oil-dependent and where both
candidates are keen to show support for the pipeline.
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Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, the head of her chamber's energy
committee, is co-sponsoring the Keystone bill in the Senate with
Republican John Hoeven of North Dakota.
The bill's sponsor in the House was Republican Representative Bill
Cassidy from Louisiana, who is seeking to unseat Landrieu in their
runoff on Dec. 6.
Since all 45 Senate Republicans support the bill, backers of the
bill need 15 Democrats. But several Democrats who backers were
trying to win, including Chris Coons of Delaware, and Ben Nelson of
Florida, said this week they will vote against the bill on Tuesday.
Still, the prospects for Keystone approval by Congress will likely
improve in January when the Senate switches to Republican control
after this month's elections.
If the bill does not pass on Tuesday, Hoeven plans to reintroduce it
next year. "I believe I have the votes to pass it then," he said.
Obama, who spoke at a news conference in Myanmar, said he has had to
constantly push back against the idea that Keystone is a "massive
jobs bill."
Introducing a fresh debating point, Obama also rejected the idea it
would lower gas prices in the U.S., saying it would provide Canada
the ability to pump its oil, and "send it through our land, down to
the Gulf, where it will be sold everywhere else. That doesn't have
an impact on U.S. gas prices"
Shares in TransCanada were down 36 Canadian cents to C$56.09 on the
Toronto Stock Exchange.
(Additional reporting by Ros Krasny, Roberta Rampton and Will
Dunham)
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