Senate Needs 4 More Votes for Keystone Veto Override

Just days after the Keystone XL pipeline got a break in Nebraska, it appears to have hit a stumbling block in the United States Senate, which does not appear to have the votes to override the veto President Obama has said he's got waiting for the measure. "My hope is that as this comes to the Senate we will take it up, we will not override the president’s coming veto and we will move past this issue and towards a real debate about" energy policy, says Delaware Democrat Chris Coons, an opponent of Keystone.

North Dakota Republican John Hoeven concedes that Keystone proponents are still short of the 67 votes they'll need. "Right now we’ve got about 63, but we’re going to the floor with an open amendment process," Hoeven says, per the Hill. "We’re trying to foster more bipartisanship, so we can pass this measure and other measures and either override the veto or attach the bill to other legislation that will get 67 votes." (More TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline stories.)