Federal judge orders environmental review of Keystone XL pipeline

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Nancy Gaarder

A federal court in Montana has ruled that TransCanada must conduct an additional environmental review before it moves forward with the alternative route that has been approved for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

The decision is being hailed by those opposing the pipeline as a victory.

However, it’s not clear whether the decision will slow the project. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris declined to nullify President Donald Trump’s decision that allowed the pipeline to go forward. And he told TransCanada, the pipeline developer, to prepare a timeline for the environmental review that would allow TransCanada to move forward with planned construction in the second quarter of next year.

In November 2017, the Nebraska Public Service Commission denied TransCanada’s application for its preferred route and instead approved an alternative route that skirted a bit more of the Nebraska Sand Hills. The alternative route goes through five different counties and crosses several different water bodies than the original, preferred route. In late July, the U.S. State Department concluded that the pipeline’s amended route would have mostly negligible to minor effects on farmland, water resources and the environment.

FULL story at link below.

Read more: https://www.omaha.com/news/courts/federal-judge-orders-environmental-review-of-keystone-xl-pipeline/article_8df82eca-645a-519b-bca3-3591556f0554.html