Few political conflicts are more emblematic of congressional dysfunction than the Keystone XL pipeline project. Its long-embattled and weary proposal pages have been batted around, and it’s become a figurative partisan line in the sand.


In January, the Senate passed Keystone legislation in a vote of 62–36. The bill carries with it amendments for energy efficiency.


One amendment would create “Tenant Star,” which would be intended to rectify the differing interests between landlords and tenants in reducing energy consumption. It would also exempt certain water heater equipment from Department of Energy regulation. Furthermore, it would require federally leased buildings that don’t have Energy Star labels to benchmark and disclose their energy usage.


In another amendment, federal energy programs and financing would be streamlined for schools.


The Senate’s Keystone XL bill was sent on to the House of Representatives, which approved it on Feb. 11. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on Feb. 24.


President Obama has stated that he would not approve the project until all reviews were conducted and it was found that the Keystone XL project would not worsen climate change. In January, the Department of State submitted a review that found the project would not negatively affect climate-change-reduction efforts. However, the Environmental Protection Agency provided an assessment that the Keystone XL pipeline would increase greenhouse gas emissions.


The veto halts the Keystone project for now because Congress does not have the votes to override it.