The recent decision by the Nebraska Public Service Commission to turn aside a request by the developer of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline leaves the issue in limbo…..and perhaps the pipeline too.
TransCanada now says it wants to reconsider whether it might proceed with the $8 billion project or cancel it, according to a report in the Omaha World-Herald.
TransCanada had originally won approval for the pipeline but didn’t like the route chosen by the Public Service Commission. It filed an amended application for the route it preferred but the Commission voted against it.
The World-Herald reported TransCanada did not give a timeline for reaching a decision on the fate of the proposed line. But a spokeswoman was quoted as saying the project is still “viable.”
However landowners and environmentalists who are against the line think they had a victory in the Service Commission vote.
“They out to take the hint and withdraw their application,” said attorney Ken Winston who represents the Sierra Club.
Should TransCanada proceed with the line and finish construction, it eventually would carry tar sand oil to Cushing and through the existing Keystone pipeline in Oklahoma that carries oil to Gulf Coast refineries.
