Appeals court rules against TransCanada over Keystone XL pipeline

TransCanada has lost a Federal Appeals Court ruling in its fight over a Montana judge’s ruling barring construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling by U.S. District Judge Brian Morris. TransCanada wanted the court to put the ruling on hold while it started work on the pipeline. But the two-judge panel said Judge Morris had carefully considered all the factors in his decision to prevent the company from starting work on the 1,184-mile proposed pipeline from Alberta, Canada to Nebraska.

The company contended the judge’s ruling would possibly cause it to miss the 2019 construction season. However, under the judge’s ruling, TransCanada is allowed to do work outside the pipeline’s right-of-way including the construction of pipeline storage yards.