Environmental activists on both sides of the border are celebrating and it’s back to the drawing board for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper after, the US senate rejected the Keystone XL pipeline bill late Tuesday afternoon that would have seen tar sands oil from Alberta piped through the USA to refineries in the American southwest.
According to Reuters, “The U.S. Senate on Tuesday narrowly failed to pass a bill that would have approved construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, rejecting a measure the House of Representatives approved last week.
The vote count was 59-41 in favor, but 60 “ayes” would have been needed to assure passage. Fourteen Democrats voted for the bill, joining all 45 Republicans who voted to support the pipeline.
TransCanada Corp’s $8 billion pipeline would help transport crude oil from the tar sands in Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico, but is opposed by environmentalists.”
It is believed that President Barack Obama, who was against it because of the environmental risks involved would likely have been vetoed the bill had it passed.
