Landrieu says she has enough votes to pass Keystone bill

Sen Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, cosponsor of the Keystone pipeline legislation in the Senate, told reporters she thinks she has 60 votes for the Keystone pipeline legislation and says she feels good about the vote. Landrieu would not identify the 60th vote, but she even held out the possibility that there could be more than 60 votes, saying, "You never know about these things."

Landrieu is in the middle of a re-election runoff battle against Rep Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana for her seat and both are vying for credit with voters for the bill. The House version of the bill, sponsored by Cassidy, passed on Friday.

My unofficial whip count is still 59 votes for Keystone legislation in the Senate. If Landrieu's count is correct, and the Senate would have a filibuster-proof majority of 60, the bill would pass. The vote is scheduled for 6:15pm Tuesday.

President Obama has not said he would veto the bill, should it pass, but White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that in considering earlier similar proposals, "we have indicated that the President's senior advisors at the White House would recommend that he veto legislation like that." The administration would like to see litigation in Nebraska over the pipeline's route resolved before the President makes a decision.