WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama may veto the controversial Keystone XL pipeline bill as early as Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Monday.
“It [Keystone XL bill] is going to come to the White House apparently as early as tomorrow, but I would anticipate that, as we have been saying for years, the President [Obama] will veto that legislation,” Earnest told journalists at a press briefing.
Both chambers of US Congress have passed the Keystone XL pipeline bill. But the House of Representative took a second vote on the Senate’s version of the bill on January 11, so that Congress would not have to waste time on ironing out any differences.
Earnest said he would not expect a lengthy delay for the president to issue a veto because the administration’s position on constructing Keystone XL is crystal clear.
However, the process to evaluate if the Keystone XL project is in the best US national interest is still underway at the US State Department, Earnest said.
The Keystone XL pipeline would connect Alberta, Canada and the US Gulf Coast. The pipeline would bring an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to US refineries, according to the congressional Energy and Commerce Committee estimate.
Environmentalists claim that the Keystone XL pipeline project will contribute to carbon emissions and climate change. However, the US State Department Environmental Impact Statement released in January said that Keystone XL will not cause a significant impact.
