The Keystone XL oil pipeline project failed to pass approval in the Senate tonight by only one vote.
Earlier in the day Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu appeared confident that she had rounded up the necessary 60 votes to approve the project, however, the final vote was 59-41.
After the results came in Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who will become the Senate Majority Leader in January, said that he is going to be bringing up this issue again early next year.
Landrieu commented on the results:
“It’s been on my agenda and it’s staying on my agenda and I’m going to do everything I can to help America become energy independent,”
Adding:
“This fight was worth having.”
The vote really came down to Senators Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Chris Coons, who were both seen as potentially voting “yes”, although at the end the two voted against the project.
Landrieu said that she “felt relatively certain that the coalition that was put together was strong enough to find the extra one. I say we have to work on our little muscle a little more.”
All 45 Republicans supported the measure, as well as 15 Democrats. The House passed a Keystone bill last week by Rep. Bill Cassidy.
Some Democrats say that even if the Senate had voted yes the President would have vetoed the bill.
“I took that opportunity. I called for this vote, not Harry Reid, not Mitch McConnell. I called for it and I think it’s worth fighting for,” Landrieu said.
Adding:
“I’m going to fight for the people of my state until the day that I leave. I hope that will not be soon, so I’m going to continue to shake this place up when I can to identify opportunities as I see them to push an important debate forward for not only Louisiana, not only my part of the country but for the entire country,”