TransCanada

Arguments raised by supporters and critics of the proposed pipeline are based on different sets of facts: lots of jobs vs. few; lower gas prices vs. higher ones; an environmental catastrophe vs. the realities of human consumption. What is clear, though, is that both sides are determined to win.

Landowners in Nebraska were offered large sums of money to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to cross their land on its way from Canada to the Gulf Coast. For some, the proposed pipeline symbolized new jobs and energy independence, but others saw it as environmentally dangerous.

Congress gave the White House a tight, 60-day deadline for approving or rejecting the controversial pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. If the president rejects the project, he's likely to be assailed on his commitment to job creation. But approving it raises real legal concerns.