Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the "first item up in the new Senate" when he takes over as majority leader in 2015 will be a measure to construct the Keystone XL pipeline, setting up a potentially contentious showdown with the Obama administration and environmental activists just as the new Congress gets rolling. "It will be open for amendment. We'll hope that senators on both sides will offer energy-related amendments," said McConnell. The oil pipeline would run from Canada’s oil sands to the Texas Gulf Coast. President Obama has not yet said whether he would sign a bill to create the pipeline, which is opposed by environmental activists. But he has raised doubts about its environmental effects. Republicans and some Democrats have argued that the bill would be a boon the to the economy. "This project will create well-paying, high-wage jobs for our people," McConnell said. Read more http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ne-will-be-first-order-of-business-next-year/
