The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives prepared to vote on Friday to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline that will help transport oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, but the bill still faces hurdles to final passage, Reuters reported. The House planned to begin debating the bill, which is expected to pass that chamber, on Thursday. The legislation would approve TransCanada Corp's $8 billion pipeline which has been in the works for six years. Final approval of the pipeline would bring to an end grappling between supporters, who tout its job-creating potential, and environmentalists, who oppose encouraging Canada's extraction of so-called dirty fuels. It would also be a blow to President Barack Obama if his Democrats joined Republicans to approve the pipeline. The Senate could take up the bill next week, possibly on Tuesday. Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Mary Landrieu, a Democrat who is locked in a runoff election in Louisiana, led the effort to approve the bill in the Senate. -- SPA 22:32 LOCAL TIME 19:32 GMT تغريد
