WASHINGTON, January 6 (Sputnik) — The United States will benefit from the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline bill after it was introduced to the US Congress, Democrat Joe Manchin, one of the sponsors of the bill, said Tuesday.
"I am encouraged that the Keystone XL pipeline project will come to a vote on the Senate floor as one of the first pieces of legislation for the 114th Congress," Senator Manchin said at a conference in the Capitol. "We have everything to gain by building this pipeline, especially since it would help create thousands of jobs right here at home and limit our dependence on foreign oil."
"The Congress on a bipartisan basis is saying we are approving this project," the chief Republican sponsor of the bill, Senator John Hoeven, said at a conference in the Capitol on Tuesday.
The legislation is currently supported by 63 senators. In the past the project did not pass the Senate as it was shut down by last session's Democratic majority. US President Barack Obama can also veto the bill, which would take 67 votes to overcome.
The hearing on Keystone XL pipeline in US Senate is scheduled for Wednesday and the US House of Representatives is supposed to vote on Keystone bill on Friday.
Activists claim the Keystone XL pipeline project will cause harm through carbon emissions and offer little in return. However, the most recent State Department final Environmental Impact Statement released in January 2014, concludes that there will be no significant impact on the environment.
