{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/inthenews?ContentRecord_id=df530d64-9f08-478f-823c-a8c0a07b1915", "Yellowhammer: Shelby: Democrats blocked 'tens of thousands of new jobs' by opposing Keystone XL pipeline", "2014-11-19", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "AL", "Richard Shelby", "S000320", "www.shelby.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Senate Democrats on Tuesday evening blocked the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project supported by conservatives and business groups but staunchly opposed by environmental activists.\r\nFourteen Democrats crossed party lines to join all 45 Republicans in voting in favor of the bill, leaving it just one vote shy of the 60-vote threshold needed to assure passage.\r\nIf approved, the pipeline would transport oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf coast, which advocates say would create tens of thousands of jobs. But for the past six years, approval of the $8 billion project has been at the mercy of the Obama administration because it crosses international borders.\r\n\u201cFor far too long, Senate Democrats have blocked legislation to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline \u2013 a commonsense measure that would decrease energy bills for American families and boost our nation\u2019s energy independence,\u201d Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby told Yellowhammer after the vote. \u201cThis unnecessary inaction has delayed the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs across the nation.\u201d\r\n\u201cDelayed\u201d may be the operative word in all of this, because the same bill that Democrats blocked on Tuesday will very likely pass with ease under Republican control in January. The only question is whether President Obama will veto the bill, which he has threatened to do.\r\n\u201cUnfortunately, Senate Democrats and President Obama chose to obstruct this important job-creating project once again,\u201d Shelby continued. \u201cToday\u2019s vote underscores the importance of a Senate Republican Majority that will listen to the American people.\u201d\r\nThe Senate\u2019s inaction on Keystone XL stands in stark contrast to the House, which on Friday\u00a0passed a bill approving the pipeline with bi-partisan support\u00a0that included every member of Alabama\u2019s congressional delegation, including Democrat Terri Sewell, who was one of 31 Democrats who broke ranks to vote in favor of the bill.\r\nRepublicans don\u2019t take control of the senate until January, but Keystone XL will likely be near the top of their priority list once the new sessions begins.\r\nhttp://yellowhammernews.com/politics-2/shelby-democrats-blocked-tens-thousands-new-jobs-opposing-keystone-xl-pipeline/", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/inthenews?ContentRecord_id=df530d64-9f08-478f-823c-a8c0a07b1915"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7962029669433832, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}