US Judge Cancels Permit to Build Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada

Ruling invalidates all of the Keystone XL Clean Water Act permits for water crossings in its route from the border to TC Energy's terminal in Nebraska

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Lorie Shaull

A U.S. judge canceled a key permit Wednesday for the Keystone XL oil pipeline that’s expected to stretch from Canada to Nebraska. APNews.com reports on yet another setback for the disputed project that got underway less than two weeks ago following years of delays.

Judge Brian Morris said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately consider effects on endangered species such as pallid sturgeon, a massive, dinosaur-like fish that lives in rivers the pipeline would cross.

The ruling, however, does not shut down work that has begun at the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Montana, according to attorneys in the case. Pipeline sponsor TC Energy will need the permit for future construction across hundreds of rivers and streams along Keystone’s 1,200-mile route.

The cancellation could have broader implications because it appears to invalidate dredging work for any project authorized under the 2017 permit, said attorney Jared Margolis with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs in the case. It’s unclear what projects would be included.

(more on Keystone pipeline ruling . . .


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