A Georgia Democrat is offering the House another chance to reaffirm support for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline in a motion that instructs conferees negotiating a surface transportation bill with the Senate to "insist" on including approval language.

The motion to instruct from Rep. John Barrow would back House conferees on inclusion of the Keystone XL language, which would override President Obama's rejection of the pipeline by giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 30 days to issue a permit for the project. Similar language is not on the Senate bill.

Barrow, facing a tough re-election race in November, was one of three Democrats that voted for the Keystone XL language in an Energy and Commerce Committee markup in February and has supported the pipeline in the past.

The Keystone XL language gathered 293 votes -- including 69 Democrats -- on the House floor as part of the transportation extension, but many said their support was about the underlying transportation language and the effort to go to conference with the Senate rather than approval of the pipeline.

A vote on the motion, which will be debated today, would mark the fifth floor vote on Keystone XL in the last 10 months.

The House will also vote today on a second motion to instruct conferees, this one regarding language from Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) expanding Buy America requirements for infrastructure projects. House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), the key Republican in the conference, said today he expects to vote for that provision.

Keystone XL has emerged as a tricky issue in the conference, and the Obama administration yesterday renewed a veto threat for the much-desired transportation bill if the rider stays on (E&E Daily, May 17). House Republicans have said they are seeing progress on the pipeline talks and are encouraged that the Senate might agree to the language.

Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), however, has noted that similar language from Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) failed to gather 60 votes in the Senate. She said she will push for the Senate's will in the conference.