The latest development in the drawn-out fight over the Keystone XL pipeline, US Senate Republicans blocked Tuesday two attempts to amend legislation that would require the project to be constructed with domestically produced steel, and that the oil brought in from the pipeline only be used in the US.
Democrats crafted the amendments as an attempt to discount the “over-hyped” job creation aspects of the project, claiming that most of the oil from Alberta’s tar sands is destined for overseas markets.
The Republican-backed bill would let TransCanada Corp. (TRP) build the $8 billion pipeline, but the Republican-led Senate voted to table the no-export amendment in a 57-42 vote, effectively killing the measure. Republicans also blocked consideration of an amendment to require the steel used to build the pipeline be produced in the US