The U-S House of Representatives has voted 252-to-161 to send the Senate a bill approving the Keystone X-L pipeline.
Senate supporters say they are confident they will have the 60 votes needed for passage on Tuesday.
In the end — passage of the bill came down to politics, not energy.
The bill was sponsored by Republican Representative Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in a bid to boost his chances to take over Louisiana’s Senate seat from Democrat Mary Landrieu.
The pair are headed for a December runoff vote.
The White House is suggesting President Obama will veto the bill.