Nebraska’s Public Service Commission today, on a 3-2 vote, approved the construction of the Keystone oil pipeline across the state, though it ruled the pipeline must be routed east of the company’s preferred route in order to skirt the Sandhills region.
In 2015, President Obama shut down the $8 billion, 1,200-mile pipeline construction project intended to carry Canadian shale oil to refineries on the Texas coast, saying, “America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change. And, frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership.”
President Trump reversed that decision but Nebraska still had to approve a route.
The oil industry has claimed the project will be an economic boon, saying it will create 20,000 well-paying jobs during construction and increase personal income by $6.5 billion over the lifetime of the project. It also would generate $138.4 million a year in property tax revenue. They also claim it will create 473 jobs in Nevada by 2020.
Of course, there is likely to be litigation that will further delay the project.
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