The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing on legislation to approve TransCanada Corp.‘s Keystone XL Pipeline project at 10 a.m. EDT Jan. 7. The purpose of the hearing “is to receive testimony on an original bill” to approve the pipeline, but no witness list has been released. The controversial project failed passage in the U.S. Senate in November, gaining a 59-41 favorable vote, but falling one vote short of a required 60 ayes (see Shale Daily, Nov. 19). Earlier, the House had passed a version of the bill giving the green light to the project, which has been stalled by the Obama administration for several years. CEO Russ Girling has said TransCanada is in for the duration to overcome the high hurdles that still exist for the proposed $7 billion, 1,700-mile pipeline project from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico (see Shale Daily,Nov. 20).