Nebraska PUC Approves Keystone XL Construction

WASHINGTON, DC – The Nebraska Public Service Commission today approved TransCanada Corp.’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline via an alternate route. By a vote of 3-2 the five-member commission approved the “mainline alternative route” and not TransCanada’s preferred route.  This decision means that TransCanada will have to get a right-of-way from landowners along the new route.

The decision comes just days after TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline leaked 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota. Opposition to the pipeline remains fierce across the country and nowhere has it been stronger than in Nebraska.

Resistance to the pipeline continues. Friends of the Earth and other environmental organizations have already filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging the pipeline was approved through an illegal process.

Friends of the Earth Senior Political Strategist Ben Schreiber issues the following statement in response to the decision.

Despite today’s decision, the fight to stop the Keystone XL pipeline is not over and we will see them in court. We will not stand by and allow oil and gas companies to ruin our climate and pollute our land, water, and sacred cultural sites.

The Nebraska Public Utilities Commission’s decision means that there are many new landowners whose land and water will be threatened by this dirty pipeline. When TransCanada spilled 210,000 gallons of oil last week, we were reminded that no pipeline can ever be safe.

Contacto experto: Ben Schreiber, (202) 280-8743, [email protected]
Contacto de comunicaciones: Patricio Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]