President would veto Keystone XL pipeline bill

The President would veto legislation that would fast track construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday.

"I can confirm for you that if this bill passes this Congress, the president wouldn't sign it," Earnest said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, is taking up Keystone as his first piece of legislation. A Keystone bill narrowly failed in the Senate in November, but McConnell predicted it would pass, once Republicans took over. McConnell has a 54-seat majority.

While the bill could attract a few Democratic votes, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said on "Face the Nation" Sunday, "I think there will be enough Democratic votes to sustain the president's veto."

The pipeline has been delayed for several years by the State Department's environmental review process. Its analysis, released in January, found the project would pose no "significant" environmental danger. In April, however, Mr. Obama's administration indefinitely extended the amount of time agencies have to review the project, citing continued legal wrangling over the pipeline's route through Nebraska.