U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said the Keystone pipeline may not even be economically viable anymore thanks to the drop in oil prices.
By John Gregory/Illinois Radio Network
CHICAGO – President Obama doesn’t use his veto pen often, but U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he’s given Congress ample warning that he’d reject the Keystone pipeline bill.
Despite that pledge, the Republican-controlled Congress supported the bill to approve the next phase of the pipeline, which will carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Durbin says this and other Republicans actions since the new Congress convened, like trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act or fighting Obama’s immigration executive orders, aren’t about passing legislation.
“Their first efforts were confrontational,” Durbin said. “I hope that they’ll now move to a different level, where we can work together on a bipartisan basis.”
Durbin voted against the pipeline in the Senate, and feels it may not even be economically viable anymore thanks to the drop in oil prices.
In order to override Obama’s veto, supporters would need five more “yes” votes in the Senate than the legislation received when it first passed in the chamber in January.
