The US Senate has narrowly failed to pass a bill approving the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The Senate voted by 59-41 in favour of the bill, but this was one vote short of the 60 needed to pass it.The 1,179-mile (1,897km) pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the US state of Nebraska where it joins pipes running to Texas.
Republicans have vowed to approve the bill next year when the new Congress convenes.
The current Senate is controlled by the Democratic Party, but Republicans will control the next Senate, following gains in elections earlier this month.
President Barack Obama is said to take a "dim view" of the legislation, but has not directly threatened a veto in the event of the bill reaching the White House.
The pipeline project has pitted Republicans and other supporters - who say it will create much-needed jobs - against many Democrats and environmentalists who warn the pipeline will add to carbon emissions and contribute to global warming.
Republicans maintained their majority in the House and gained control of the US Senate during mid-term elections on 4 November. But the official start of the new Congress is not until early January.
The bill failed to pass despite all 45 current Republican senators as well as 14 Democrats voting in favour