TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline project cleared its last major regulatory hurdle, after Nebraska’s Public Service Commission approved the route in a 3 to 2 vote.
The pipeline is expected to transport about 830,000 barrels of oil a day from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska.
The vote came as TransCanada cleans up a 5,000 barrel oil spill from its pipeline in South Dakota. Opponents have pointed to that spill as a reason to not approve Keystone XL.
Opponents say the 1,897 kilometre Keystone XL project would pass through the Sandhills, an ecologically fragile region in Nebraska of grass-covered sand dunes.
However, the commission was prohibited from evaluating safety concerns, and was to rule on issues including regulatory compliance, economic social impacts of the project, the possible intrusion on natural resources, and look at if better routes exist.
The pipeline was rejected by Barack Obama in 2015, after years of review. President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead to the project in March.
Premier Rachel Notley released a statement in response to the news Monday morning, saying “this pipeline will mean greater energy security for all North Americans by making sure people have access to Alberta’s responsibly developed energy resources.”
“This is another step in our broader effort to bring more Alberta oil to the world, diversify our markets and maximize the value we as Albertans get. Today, U.S. decision makers carefully considered a pipeline and granted an approval.”
Notley’s statement went on to appeal to officials in Canada over other pipelines.
“While we are very pleased with Nebraska’s approval, it underscores that Canadian regulators need to keep pace if we are going to build a truly diversified set of markets.”
With files from The Canadian Press
