The vote was 266-153, with more than two dozen Democrats joining nearly all Republicans to pass the measure. It was the first time the legislation passed in the new session of Congress which began Tuesday, but the tenth time the GOP-controlled House has sent a bill approving the pipeline to the Senate.
Rep. Justin Amash, of Michigan, was the only Republican to vote “present,” and 28 Democrats voted to approve the measure.
Congressional Republicans have made the pipeline one of their first priorities in the new session, arguing it would created tens of thousands of jobs, and pointing out the measure has received Democratic support. A Senate committee passed its Keystone legislation on Thursday, and the bill is scheduled for a vote later this month. Senate GOP leaders are confident they have enough votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster on the bill, but they do not believe they can sustain a veto.
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TransCanada is waiting for U.S. approval to finish construction on 1,200 miles of pipeline known as Keystone XL, which would complete a partially built pipeline network that runs 3,800 miles. The incomplete part of the pipeline would run through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
CNN’s Ted Barrett, Joe Johns, Jedd Rosche and Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.
