WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders are delaying sending a bill authorizing the Keystone XL oil pipeline to the White House for a likely veto until after the recess break.
Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, the chief Republican sponsor, told reporters Thursday it would be better if Congress was in town when President Barack Obama vetoes the bill “so attention is brought to it.”
The House easily passed a Senate-approved bill authorizing the pipeline’s construction Wednesday. Republican leaders called on Obama to reconsider his veto threat.
The White House has said repeatedly it will wait to make its decision on whether the $8 billion project is in the national interest until after a State Department review concludes.
The pipeline, first proposed in 2008, will connect Canada’s tar sands to Gulf Coast refineries.
