LINCOLN, Neb. — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. State Department to conduct a more thorough review of the Keystone XL pipeline’s proposed pathway after Nebraska state regulators changed the route.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris of Montana said in a ruling Wednesday that the State Department must supplement its 2014 environmental impact study of the project to consider the new route.
The Nebraska Public Service Commission rejected pipeline developer TransCanada’s preferred route in November 2017, but approved a different pathway.
Last month, the State Department declared the pipeline would not have a major impact on Nebraska’s water, land or wildlife.
It’s not clear whether the additional review will delay the project. TransCanada spokesman Matthew John says company officials are reviewing the judge’s decision.