Alternative Keystone XL Route OKed In Nebraska

The Latest on Nebraska regulators deciding whether to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline through the state (all times local):

10:15 a.m.

A Nebraska commission has approved an alternative Keystone XL route through the state, removing the last regulatory hurdle to the $8 billion oil pipeline project.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission voted on the long-delayed project Monday, though the decision could still be challenged in court. The commission was forbidden by law from considering a recent oil spill on the existing Keystone pipeline in its decision.

The alternative route would run farther north than the originally proposed route.

TransCanada Corp.’s plan to build a nearly 1,200-mile (1,931-kilometer) pipeline faces intense opposition from environmental groups, Native American tribes and some landowners.

Business groups and some unions support the project as a way to create jobs. President Donald Trump issued a federal permit allowing for the project in March, reversing President Barack Obama administration’s rejection of it.

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12:10 a.m.

A Nebraska regulator is set to decide whether to approve the proposed route of the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline through the state.

The decision Monday could have a big impact on whether TransCanada Corp. decides to proceed with construction of the project, which was first proposed in 2008 but repeatedly delayed.

The five-member Nebraska Public Service Commission vote is the last major regulatory hurdle for Keystone XL, which was approved earlier this year by President Donald Trump in a reversal of the Obama administration’s rejection in 2015.

Landowners along the route and environmentalists have opposed the project. Some businesses and unions have supported it as a job creator.

The commission will not be allowed to take into account an oil spill on the existing Keystone pipeline last week