Legislation on the Keystone XL pipeline came to the forefront on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as Louisiana’s two senatorial candidates made a final push for its passage before the Dec. 6 runoff election.

In an appearance on the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., asked that the Hoeven-Landrieu bill to approve the pipeline’s construction be brought to a vote today for unanimous consent.

“A clear path has been spread for Keystone,” Landrieu said. “In my view the path will never be clearer than it is today. But politics and gamesmanship has to be put aside.”

Landrieu, who is co-sponsoring the bill with U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said “an overwhelming majority” of senators, “60-plus members,” has shown support for the project. “I am confident we have the additional votes to pass it,” she said.

Landrieu said that if Hoeven-Landrieu passes the Senate, she will “strongly urge” President Barack Obama to sign it. “If he doesn’t, that’s the process,” she said.

Sixty votes in the Senate will pass the legislation without the threat of a filibuster from the bill’s opponents. If Obama vetoes the legislation, however, it would require a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress — 67 in the Senate and 287 in the House — to override the veto.

Earlier this month, the American Press asked Landrieu what her plans were for getting the votes to ensure a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate. In response, Landrieu, who is seeking her fourth term in the Senate, said she did not think the country would ever see a 67-vote majority from Republicans or Democrats “in our lifetime.”

In the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, introduced a bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which he describes as “identical” to the bill pending in the Senate.

In a statement, Cassidy said the House has passed Keystone legislation eight times, but that the Senate did not consider “any of the eight.”

“If the Senate also passes the bill, it can go straight to the president’s desk for signature,” Cassidy said. “It is easy to wonder if the Senate is only considering this because of politics. Even so, I hope the Senate and the president do the right thing and pass this legislation creating thousands of jobs.”

The House is expected to vote on its Keystone XL legislation today.

The 36-inch Keystone XL pipeline would carry oil from Alberta, Canada, south through the Midwest to refineries in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas.

The U.S. State Department has said the pipeline’s construction and completion would create 42,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Obama, however, has said the pipeline would not be in the country’s interest if it contributes to rising carbon dioxide emissions, which are related to climate change.(AP Photo)

J. Scott Applewhite