US Congress to vote on deadline for Keystone XL pipeline decision

Congress is due to vote on Tuesday to impose a 1 November deadline on Barack Obama to make his final decision on a $7bn pipeline pumping crude from the tar sands of Alberta to the refineries of Texas. This latest push for the project – which was in any case in the end stages of its approval process – comes amid renewed concern about pipeline safety, following a leak on the Yellowstone river earlier this month . Tuesday's vote, brought by Republicans in the House of Representatives, would compel the Obama administration to make a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline by 1 November. It had immediate support from the oil and gas industry. However, the vote is unlikely to do much to fast-track the project, and the White House said in a statement that the measure was "unnecessary". The State Department, which has final authority over the project, is already entering the end stages of its deliberations. Officials said last week they expected to release their final environmental report in August. In a conference call with reporters, Daniel Clune, a deputy assistant secretary, said officials were still reviewing alternative routes for the 1,600-mile pipeline. The State Department has also scheduled a series of public meetings in Nebraska, South Dakota, and other states that will be crossed by the pipeline. But he indicated the State Department was on track to sign off on the project by the end of the year.