Arkansas Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman says he's confident the legislation to build the Keystone XL Pipeline project will pass the next Congress when Republicans take control of the Senate.
Boozman's remarks came on the heels of the Democrat-controlled Senate's narrow defeat of a bill to approve the project on Tuesday.
The final vote was 59-41. The bill needed 60 votes to reach the White House. The House passed it overwhelmingly last week.
Earlier, Boozman spoke on the Senate floor to urge colleagues to pass the bill because he said the project would bolster both the economies of America and Arkansas. Boozman cited companies in two Arkansas communities that he said would benefit from work on the project.
Outgoing Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, also supported the bill.