OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - U.S. Sen. James Inhofe says he supports a bill being introduced in the U.S. Senate that will bypass the president and provide congressional approval to the Keystone XL pipeline.

Oklahoma's senior senator says the bill is being introduced Monday by Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota, Richard Lugar of Indiana and David Vitter of Louisiana. Inhofe says he's one of 44 cosponsors of the measure.

President Obama earlier this month blocked the $7 billion pipeline, saying a timeline imposed by Congress did not give officials enough time to review an alternative plan to avoid environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska.

The pipeline planned by Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. would carry tar sands oil from western Canada across six states, including Oklahoma, to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast.