President Barack Obama's expected veto of a bill approving the Keystone XL pipeline this week will hardly matter, because the controversial project faces new obstacles that go beyond the politics of the nation's capital.

White House officials have said Obama will veto the bill, passed February 11. Lawmakers plan to send the measure to him this week, now that they're back in town after a recess and around to denounce his veto from the bully pulpit of the House or Senate floor.

Despite any rhetorical fireworks, Obama's veto will do little to end the drama of the controversial pipeline. The reason? The multibillion-dollar project faces other challenges in Nebraska and South Dakota—two states that the 1,179-mile (1,897-kilometer) northern leg of the