McCaskill: Senate Has Votes to Approve Keystone Pipeline

There will be enough Senate Democrats to vote with Republicans and approve the Keystone XL pipeline, Sen. Claire McCaskill predicted Wednesday.

"I think we're going to have a vote. I think there's 11 Democrats that have signed onto support it. So clearly the votes are there to pass the Keystone pipeline in the United States Senate," McCaskill told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

McCaskill, who said she supported the project, explained she believed "pragmatically, that this oil is coming out of the ground," and that it may as well be delivered through the United States. In responding to critics who claimed the project could endanger the environment, she said it could be built safely.

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"The notion is, why can't we do it safely through the United States? Clearly, all of the studies have indicated we can do it safely through the United States," the Missouri Democrat said.

McCaskill voiced frustration working with Republicans who continued to offer amendments to the energy bill before the Senate. She claimed their motivation could be to cast the Senate in an unflattering light.

"It's almost like they don't want to us get anything done, because they want us to appear dysfunctional because they think it helps them politically," she said.

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