House Passes Keystone XL Bill 252-161

The House has passed H.R. 5682 by a vote of 252-161, advancing the legislation that would require Exeuctive Branch approval of the Keystone XL pipeline through the central U.S.

The legislation was sponsored by Representative Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is locked in a tight race against Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) as she defends her seat from his challenge. The two already faced off on Election Day earlier this year, but neither managed to secure more than 50 percent of the vote, and under Louisiana state election law, they'll face a runoff election on December 6.

Cassidy and other Republicans have long criticized the White House's delay of action in approving the pipeline, and the vote in the House has made the pipeline a central issue in the Cassidy/Landrieu runoff race. Laura Barron-Lopez, an energy and environment reporter for The Hill, spoke with C-SPAN on Wednesday to talk about the bill and the politics behind the votes.

Landrieu was joined earlier this week on the Senate floor by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) to discuss their support for her push for a vote on Keystone.

The Senate is slated to take a Keystone XL approval vote on November 18.