WASHINGTON - The House voted last night on an extreme bill that would take the President out of the process, eliminate critical environmental and national interest reviews and immediately approve the risky Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. But Keystone proponents lost momentum. Not only did they fail to get enough votes to override a Presidential veto, but many more members voted against this bill than the last time the House attempted to legislatively approve this project.

Opposition to the tar sands pipeline has increased significantly since the last House vote as more information comes out about just how risky Keystone XL would be. The final vote, 241-175, reflects diminishing support for the export pipeline. Nearly all freshmen Democrats voted against the bill, signaling an increased awareness of the serious risks that American families would face if Keystone XL were constructed.

Over the last few months alone, we’ve seen a tar sands pipeline oil spill in Arkansas, the EPA raise serious concerns about the State Department’s flawed environmental analysis, and a mountain of petcoke continue to grow in Detroit. Together with this vote, it’s clear that momentum is continuing to shift against the Keystone XL pipeline.