Stretching through two Canadian territories and three U.S. states, the Keystone XL pipeline, if approved, would have the ability to import more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the American heartland from a Canadian oil depot, according to TransCanada Corp.

President Barack Obama vetoed a bill to allow the construction of the pipeline on Feb. 24, a move anticipated by Republicans in Congress, reported TIME. The veto is significant for two reasons as it is only Obama’s third veto, and because it serves as a roadblock to the right’s efforts to increase the U.S.’s consumption of crude oil.

The Republican dominated Congress passed the bill on Feb. 11, and is wasting no time in organizing a front to override the veto. According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress must pass the bill again with a two-thirds majority vote to overturn the president’s objection — a task that may prove difficult given the number of Democrats in Congress.

“Through this bill, the United States Congress attempts to circumvent longstanding and proven processes for determining whether or not building and operating a cross-border pipeline serves the national interest,” Obama said in a message to the Senate.

“The presidential power to veto legislation is one I take seriously,” the statement continued, according to whitehouse.gov. “But I also take seriously my responsibility to the American people.”

Republicans responded with intensity and no regrets. House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, referred to the president’s action as a “national embarrassment,” according to ABC News.

Obama said the Keystone XL pipeline, which already has two completed phases, defies national interests, including security, safety and the environment.

The first two portions of the five-phase pipeline connect Hardisty, Canada, to Patoka, Illinois, and Steele City, Nebraska, to Cushing, Oklahoma. Two more phases have already been approved and are under construction. They are expected to be completed sometime this year and connect the existing pipeline in Oklahoma to Nederland, Texas, and Houston, Texas.

The phase currently under heated debate and controversy would also pump crude oil from Hardisty to Steele City, much like the first phase, but in the U.S. it would be more than 500 miles shorter than the existing one, according to the State Department.

Environmental concerns are one of the major factors preventing partisan approval. Opponents are uneasy about the damage TransCanada may do during construction and the possibility of an oil spill.

“TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP (Keystone) would comply with all applicable laws and regulations,” section 4.16 of State Department’s environmental impact statement for the project states.

While the underground pipeline may be in accordance with U.S. laws to protect its people and the environment, the president and some lawmakers may believe current standards are not high enough.

Proponents argue the construction project would create jobs — 42,000 according to a State Department estimate cited in TIME. In addition, they argue it would also support a long-term workforce after the pipeline is built, while the State Department claims approximately only 50 positions would be available once the pipeline is operating.

TransCanada stated on keystone-xl.com several ways the pipeline would generate revenue for varying levels of government in the U.S., but the corporation did not provide a clear example of what long lasting jobs would be available as a result of the project.

Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. imports more crude oil from Canada than any other nation, including Saudi Arabia, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In fact, the EIA records show, on average, more crude oil is imported from Canada in a single year than from Saudi Arabia in twice the time.

Left-wing politicians, such as Ralph Nader of the Green Party and Elizabeth Warren of the Democratic Party, commonly argue the national interest should be directed toward renewable forms of energy like solar, wind and water, rather than the use of fossil fuels.

Increasing Canadian oil imports, however, may allow for little excuse to maintain uneasy relationships with nations like Saudi Arabia that have often worked with the U.S. while violating human rights in its own country.

Time will tell if congressional supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline will muster the support they need to defeat the president’s rejection of the project.

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