Nebraska OKs Keystone Pipeline, With a Catch

President Trump and backers of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline can claim a victory: Nebraska on Monday agreed to let the pipeline be laid in the state, clearing the last remaining major regulatory hurdle, reports Politico. A state panel, however, changed the route proposed by pipeline owner TransCanada, moving it further east to avoid the Sandhills region, reports the Washington Post. It was not immediately clear how much that would complicate TransCanada's plans—the company had previously rejected the route in question.

Because of the change in routes, new landowners will need to be contacted for permission, reports the Omaha World-Herald. The pipeline, which is projected to carry 830,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Canada to the Gulf Coast in Texas, had been blocked by President Obama but revived by Trump. The decision by Nebraska's five-member Public Service Commission is expected to be challenged in court and wind up in the state's Supreme Court, reports the AP. It comes just days after the existing pipeline leaked about 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota. (More TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline stories.)