Obama would veto Keystone oil pipeline

US president Barack Obama would veto legislation that approves the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, the White House said. The president's opposition sets the stage for the project to be the first veto of a Bill passed by the new Republican-led Congress.

The legislation approving the construction of the $8 billion (€6.7bn) pipeline is expected to pass the Republican-controlled Senate where the Bill has 60 co-sponsors. This gives the legislation the sufficient number of votes to be sent to the White House.

"If this Bill passes Congress, the president wouldn't sign it," said Mr Obama's press secretary Josh Earnest, insisting that the president wants to wait for a state department review of the project to be completed.

On the inaugural day of the 114th Congress, Republican John Boehner was re-elected for a third term, the first to be controlled by Republicans in eight years. He saw off a larger-than-expected number of conservatives in his party seeking to oust him as House leader.