Montana’s top officeholders didn’t have much good to say about President Barack Obama’s veto Tuesday of a bill approving construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline — and Republicans were especially harsh.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said the president is “perpetuating his war on energy and standing as a barrier to affordable energy.”

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., said Obama “chose Middle Eastern oil and coastal special interests over Montana jobs and North American energy independence.”

In a statement, Daines said, “President Obama is standing firmly against thousands of good-paying American jobs and domestic energy independence.” 

Obama, a Democrat, had promised to veto the measure passed by Congress this month and made good on his promise Tuesday.

He said the decision on the pipeline’s permit is one that his administration will make, rather than Congress.

Republican leaders in Congress said they may try next week to override the veto, or possibly put the pipeline approval in another bill that Obama might have to accept.

The pipeline, which would carry Canadian crude oil from Alberta to refineries near the Gulf of Mexico, and cross the northeastern corner of Montana, was proposed more than six years ago by TransCanada.

It needs a permit from the U.S. State Department because it crosses an international border. The Obama administration has said it’s still reviewing the pipeline, which is opposed by some environmental groups.

A member of one of those groups, the Montana-based Northern Plains Resource Council, said Tuesday that Obama made the right decision with the veto, and that the State Department should continue its review of the pipeline permit.

“The project has no emergency response plan, which is unacceptable,” said Chuck Nerud, a Circle-area rancher. “Rivers and agricultural land in the path of the Keystone XL are threatened, which threatens the livelihoods and drinking water for countless citizens along the pipeline’s path and downstream.”

Both Montana’s Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester said Tuesday it’s time to approve the pipeline.

“While I understand the president’s desire to protect his office from what he sees as congressional overreach, the time for political statements is over,” Bullock said. “Montanans need an answer on Keystone.”

Tester, who said he was “disappointed” with Obama’s veto, and Bullock said the pipeline should be approved with the proper protections for the environment and local property owners.

Zinke said he’s a “strong advocate” for improving the U.S. energy infrastructure, including the pipeline, and that the permit process for such projects should be expedited.

According to Zinke, “Multiple studies, including those by the Obama administration, have found the pipeline to be a safe and environmentally responsible form of transport, and an economic engine for the region. While I’m not surprised at the President’s veto, I’m still disappointed.”