LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska commission has approved an alternative Keystone XL route through the state, removing the last regulatory hurdle to the $8 billion oil pipeline project.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission voted on the long-delayed project Monday, though the decision could still be challenged in court. The commission was forbidden by law from considering a recent oil spill on the existing Keystone pipeline in its decision.
The alternative route would run farther north than the originally proposed route.
TransCanada Corp.’s plan to build a nearly 1,200-mile (1,931-kilometer) pipeline faces intense opposition from environmental groups, Native American tribes and some landowners.
Business groups and some unions support the project as a way to create jobs. President Donald Trump issued a federal permit allowing for the project in March, reversing President Barack Obama administration’s rejection of it.
The U.S. State Department is looking into whether Nebraska’s approval of a modified route for the Keystone XL pipeline will affect the federal permit that pipeline developer TransCanada received in March.
A State Department spokeswoman said Monday that the agency was aware of the Nebraska Public Service Commission’s decision and was trying to get more information about it.
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