The U.S. Senate is poised to vote this week on whether to allow a massive pipeline that would link Alberta’s oilsands to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
If the project wins Senate support in vote slated for Tuesday, TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL pipeline would have just one more hurdle to clear in its long-awaited approval from Washington: Obama’s signature.
For Keystone’s proponents, the magic number is 15, as in 15 Democrat senators who will need to cast their support for the project. All 45 Republican senators are backing the bill.
Legislation approving Keystone, which has been held up for more than half a decade because of environmental and political concerns, could be in front of the U.S. president before the end of the week.
MORE: TransCanada boss appears on U.S. network TV to defend Keystone
Obama may seek to delay confronting the project’s approval once again by vetoing the bill. But that will only buy time.
In January, Republicans will gain control of the U.S. Senate and again press for the pipeline’s approval, this time with a majority in the U.S. Congress.
Here’s a glance at the key issues surrounding the proposed 1,900-kilometre pipeline:
— Graphic illustration by Leo Kavanagh, Global News
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