Update…

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.