House passes Keystone pipeline bill, setting up White House showdown
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill approving the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline by a 270-152 vote. The bill heads to President Obama, who has vowed to veto the measure over concerns about the pipeline's potential environmental impact.
Pipeline advocates had been pressing Congress to approve the project since 2008, though Democrats declined to seriously consider the issue when they controlled Congress. After claiming control of both chambers in the 2014 midterm elections, Republicans vowed to make approval of Keystone one of their top priorities this year.
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