House to Vote Next Week on Keystone Pipeline

WASHINGTON (AP/Staff) � House Republican leaders say the House will vote next week on legislation to construct the Keystone XL pipeline and send it to President Barack Obama. Obama has threatened a veto. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday that the House will consider the Senate-passed bill, which also included provisions stating that climate change is not a hoax. The House passed a version of the bill last month. The Senate voted 62-36 last week to build the $8 billion project that would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries along the Texas Gulf coast. That vote was short of 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto. One of the existing pipelines runs through much of East Texas, including eastern Smith County.