Nebraska court approves Keystone XL pipeline route – Mining.com

January 9, 2015

Nebraska’s highest court handed a small, but key victory to TransCanada Corp.’s (TSX, NYSE:TRP) Keystone XL Friday as it approved the route for the controversial oil pipeline, reversing a lower court that had blocked the proposal and clearing the way for a U.S. State Department ruling on the plan.

Four of the seven judges ruled that landowners who challenged the state law giving Nebraska’s governor authority to approve the pipeline’s route have standing to challenge the constitutionality of the law.

They also determined that a lower court correctly ruled the state law as unconstitutional. But Nebraska’s Constitution requires a majority of five to deem any legislation as unconstitutional. And so, despite a majority of judges finding the law was unconstitutional, the lower court’s decision was vacated, clearing the way for TransCanada’s project.

Read More: http://www.mining.com/nebraska-court-approves-keystone-xl-pipeline-route-30206/