Final arguments for and against TransCanada Corps’ proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the one meant to eventually connect to the Keystone already in place in Oklahoma and Texas will be heard this week by Nebraska regulators.
It is considered the last big hurdle for the project after President Trump gave federal approval earlier in the year.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission will hear the arguments on the proposed 1,179-mile pipeline linking Canada’s Alberta oil sands to U.S. refineries.
While President Trump’s administration approved a federal permit for he pipeline in March, it still needs approval from Nebraska regulators. The state is the last of three states to approve the path. Nebraska’s Public Service Commission will announce a decision in November.
When the Trump administration approved the permit, it reversed a decision by former President Barack Obama. But it also has created an emotional fight by landowners, ranchers and environmentalists who contend the risks from spills are too great.
As E and E reports, it has become a fight over water. The Keystone XL would carry an estimated 830,000 barrels of oil a day. The White House claims it would create 28,000 jobs across the nation. At the time of the President’s approval of the federal permit, he also exempted the pipeline from an executive order requiring new pipelines to be made from U.S. steel because much of the pipe is already built and stockpiled.