Nebraska Approves Keystone XL Pipeline

The Nebraska Public Service Commission approved the Keystone XL pipeline, removing the last regulatory hurdle for the oil project after years of former President Barack Obama’s blocking the pipeline’s approval.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission approved the pipeline, 3-2, for it to run through the state. The Keystone XL pipeline will move 830,000 barrels per day of crude oil from Canada and North Dakota to oil refineries in the Gulf Coast. Obama blocked permits for the pipeline in 2015, claiming it would “undercut” American climate leadership.

Obama argued in 2015:

Frankly, approving this project would have undercut that global leadership, and that’s the biggest risk we face; not acting. Because if ultimately if we’re going to prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we’re going to have to keep some of our fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them.

President Donald Trump quickly reversed Obama’s decision after taking office. Trump has pursued an energy policy of “energy dominance,” which sought to undo burdensome energy regulations and open up America’s energy resources.