Keystone bill passes: Without McCain’s Jones Act repeal amendment

The U.S. Senate yesterday voted 62 to 36 to pass a bill to permit construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, but declined to tack on an amendment by Senator John McCain that would have repealed the domestic shipbuilding requirement of the Jones Act.

The decision not to offer or vote on the McCain amendment showed that it would have been “overwhelmingly defeated because of the law’s rock solid support in Congress,” said Tom Allegretti, Chairman of the American Maritime Partnership.

“This was not surprising considering it was just one month ago that Congress enacted its strongest legislative endorsement of the Jones Act in memory,” he said.

With or without McCain’s amendment, the Keystone bill faces a near certain veto by President Obama.

Source: Marine Log