Federal judge halts Keystone XL pipeline
by John Siciliano
| November 09, 2018 07:06 AM
U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris has blocked the construction of the $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline, which President Trump quickly approved in one of his first actions as president.
Morris, who serves the District Court of Montana, ruled late Thursday night that the administration's environmental analysis fell short and ordered the pipeline to be halted until the federal government completes further environmental reviews.
The judge's order said the Trump administration had no basis for reversing former President Barack Obama's rejection of the pipeline's permit, and a new environmental review must be done.
Environmental groups had sued both TransCanada, the company building the pipeline, and the State Department over the pipeline's approval.
A number of groups hailed the judge's order on Thursday as a major victory against the pipeline and the Trump administration.
"TransCanada and Trump keep pushing this dirty project, but Native American tribes, landowners and environmentalists are going to keep pushing back," said the Rainforest Action Network, an anti-fossil fuel group that is also pressing banks from continuing to fund the project.
Trump signed an executive order just days after being sworn in as president to expedite the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.
more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/federal-judge-halts-keystone-xl-pipeline
