Hillary Clinton keeps quiet on Keystone XL pipeline

NEW YORK -- Hillary Clinton again declined to comment on the Keystone XL pipeline Monday when she addressed guests at a dinner hosted by the League of Conservation Voters, a group strongly opposed to the project.

The former Secretary of State instead emphasized the progress that the current administration has made on environmental issues and the work that is yet to be done.

"We continue to push forward but that is just the beginning of what is needed," she said. "There is no getting around the fact that the kind of ambitious response required to effectively combat climate change is going to be a tough sell at home and around the world."

Though Clinton is a potential 2016 presidential candidate who is accustomed to the spotlight, her speech attracted even more attention Monday because of its curious timing. Just hours before the dinner, Clinton attended a private fundraiser in New York City for Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

Sen. Landrieu, in a last-ditch effort to win reelection against Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, pushed hard in the Senate for approval of the pipeline, which the League of Conservation Voters has called "dirty" and "dangerous." Landrieu failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to pass a bill and now, polls show Cassidy pulling ahead and, according to some reports, raising more cash for his campaign. Landrieu will face Cassidy in a runoff Dec. 6.