Keystone Pipeline Has New Headaches – Beyond Washington
The controversial Keystone XL pipeline encounters new obstacles that go beyond the politics of the nation’s capital.
President Barack Obama is expected as early as next week to veto a bill approving the multi-billion project, but he’s not Keystone’s only problem. Pending challenges also await in Nebraska and South Dakota—two states that the 1,179-mile (1,897-kilometer) northern leg of the pipeline would cross as it moves oil from Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Neb.
Right now, the pipeline’s owner—Calgary-based TransCanada—lacks an approved route through Nebraska and a useable construction permit in South Dakota. Until these problems are fixed, whatever happens in Washington, D.C. won’t matter.
On Feb. 25, Nebraska’s Holt County will hold a hearing on whether to expedite the schedule for resolving a
