Roundup: U.S. Republicans press Obama on Keystone bill despite veto threat

U.S. Republican lawmakers on Friday held a ceremony celebrating Congress's passage of the Keystone XL pipeline legislation, urging President Barack Obama to sign it into law despite the repeated veto threat from the White House.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner formally signed the legislation at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol, surrounded by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP lawmakers, in a bid to put pressure on Obama to approve construction of the controversial pipeline that would bring Canada's oil sands to refineries in the United States.

"This really is pretty simple. The Keystone XL pipeline is a good idea for our economy, and it's a good idea for our country," Boehner said. "To the president, I would just say this: Do the right thing, sign this bill and help us create more jobs in America and create a healthier economy."

Republican leaders have made Keystone as their first legislative priority after they took control of both Houses of Congress in January. "The new majority is getting Congress back to work for the American people. Passing a bipartisan jobs and infrastructure bill like Keystone represents another step along that path," McConnell said at the ceremony.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday gave final congressional approval to the Keystone XL pipeline legislation, which passed in the Senate last month, setting up a confrontation with the president.

The White House has repeatedly said Obama will veto the legislation, arguing that Congress should not circumvent the State Department's ongoing review process of the pipeline.

"The president has announced that he would oppose and veto any legislative maneuvering to circumvent that process. So he will indeed be vetoing it," White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reporters Thursday.

The legislation will not be sent to the White House until after next week's President's Day recess, according to the Hill, a top U. S. political website. Such a move would prevent Obama from vetoing it while lawmakers are away from Washington.

Obama will have 10 days, excluding Sundays, to sign or veto the legislation after he receives it, the Hill reported. Analysts say the Republican-led Congress is not likely to garner the two-thirds majority vote needed to override a presidential veto.

The 8-billion-U.S. dollar Keystone XL project is proposed to go from Canada through the U.S. State of Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day to refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The project has been delayed for years as critics say it could worsen climate change by enabling further growth from the oil sands, which create higher greenhouse gas emissions than some other forms of production. But Republicans insist that it will create jobs and enhance U.S. energy security.

Obama has not said whether he will grant a permission to build the Keystone XL pipeline, but has downplayed the economic benefits of the project in recent months.

"It's very good for Canadian oil companies, and it's good for the Canadian oil industry, but it's not going to be a huge benefit to U.S. consumers," Obama said at a press conference in December. Enditem