President Obama vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have approved the Keystone XL pipeline, CNN reported.

The veto denied authorization to construct a 1,179-mile pipeline that would carry 800,000 barrels of heavy petroleum a day from oil sands in Alberta, Canada to the ports and refineries on the Gulf Coast, the New York Times reported.

Republicans who support the pipeline proposal view it as a job creator, USA TODAY reported, but environmentalists opposed it because it would contribute to climate change.

“The Presidential power to veto legislation is one I take seriously.  But I also take seriously my responsibility to the American people,” Obama said in a written statement to the Senate.

This was the third veto of Obama’s presidency, USA TODAY reported, and came after a formal veto threat. The White House has previously issued 13 formal veto threats this year, USA TODAY reported, the most ever at this point in a new Congress since 1985 when President Reagan first began issuing written veto threats.

"Because this act of Congress conflicts with established executive branch procedures and cuts short thorough consideration of issues that could bear on our national interest — including our security, safety, and environment — it has earned my veto," Obama wrote in his statement.