U.S. House passes Keystone XL bill, Senate to debate next week

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline, despite a threat by the White House to veto legislation on the project. The bill passed, 266-153, with 28 of the House Democrats voting for the pipeline, down three from a similar vote in November. The Senate will debate a similar bill early next week. President Barack Obama has said the State Department should finish its assessment of the project before he decides whether to approve it. TransCanada Corp's pipeline would help transport more than 800,000 barrels per day of mostly Canadian tar sands oil to refineries along the Gulf Coast. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Bill Trott)