The Monday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories
Highlights from the news file for Monday, Nov. 20
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NEBRASKA APPROVES KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE: Nebraska regulators approved passage of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline Monday, clearing the last major regulatory hurdle for the controversial $10-billion project but creating a new wrinkle by choosing an alternative route for the pipeline. TransCanada said it was evaluating the decision by the state’s Public Service Commission, which opted not to approve the company’s preferred route and instead went for one that shifts the southern portion of the pipeline toward an existing pipeline route and away from sensitive ecological areas. The Nebraska panel voted 3-2 to approve the project. In a written decision, the panel said it was in the public’s interest to put the new pipeline nearer to TransCanada’s existing Keystone pipeline already running through the state to make it easier to monitor and respond to spills, to reduce impacts on endangered species and other benefits related to reduced conflicts.
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