Nebraska commission approves Keystone XL construction

[thackney]

Nebraska commission approves Keystone XL construction
http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/All-eyes-on-Nebraska-as-Keystone-XL-hangs-in-12371082.php
November 20, 2017

Nebraska utility regulators approved the construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline through their state Monday morning.

At the forefront of President Donald Trump's push to expand U.S. energy infrastructure, Canadian pipeline company TransCanada's application was approved by a 3-2 vote by the Nebraska Public Service Commission.

With most regulatory reviews already complete, Nebraska had served as the last major hurdle for TransCanada in completing a pipeline project that will run more than 1,100 miles from tar sands fields in Western Canada to Steele City, Nebraska, where it will connect to existing pipelines running to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast.

At the center of the building debate around climate change, the Keystone had attracted significant opposition from environmental groups in Nebraska, forcing TransCanada to build along an alternative route that largely avoided Nebraska's Sand Hills region.

At Monday's meeting in Nebraska's capitol of Lincoln, Commissioner Crystal Rhoades said she opposed the decision because even after rerouting the project "several miles of fragile soils" would still be impacted. She also questioned whether land owners had been granted ample opportunity to voice their opinion and what "economic benefit" the project would bring to Nebraska....

[Bigun]

Excellent news!   

[IsailedawayfromFR]

This is good news indeed.  They really need to find out the cause of that 5k oil spill soon, though.  Otherwise, someone could get the whole pipeline shutdown.

[thackney]

I haven't found the specifics of the re-route yet.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I haven't found the specifics of the re-route yet.

See this yet?

Nebraska’s approval of new route for Keystone XL could be oil pipeline’s death blow
Owner less likely to complete project if more environmental reviews needed

Nebraska regulators set out this week to finally approve the long-awaited Keystone XL oil pipeline. Instead, specialists say, they may have killed it.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) voted 3-2 Monday to approve a route for the $8 billion Canada-to-Texas pipeline through the state, but not the route that TransCanada, the owner and operator of the project, had wanted.
The new path was approved with little debate or study. The State Department, which reviews pipelines that cross international boundaries, reportedly is examining whether it must conduct a new environmental review, a process that could take years and would come at considerable expense to American taxpayers.